THE  LIBRARY 
OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


I  iaV 


d 


THE 


TEAYELS    OF   A    STTGAK    PLANTER. 


THE     TRAVELS 


OF    A 


SUGAR  PLANTER 


OR, 


SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUROPE. 


BY 

H.  W.  ALLEN. 


NEW  YORK : 
JOHN    F.    TROW,    PRINTER, 

43   &   50   GIIEENE   STREET. 

1861. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1861, 

BY  J.  F.  TROW. 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the 

Southern  District  of  New  York. 


TO 
"  TIIE  GOOD  PEOPLE  OF  TIIE  PARISH  OP  WEST  BATON  ROUGE,  LA., 

MY     FRIENDS, 

WHO  HAVE  EVER  GIVEN  ME  THEIR  FULLEST  CONFIDENCE 
AND     HIGHEST    ESTEEM, 

THIS   VOLUME 

IS   RESPECTFULLY   AND   GRATEFULLY   DEDICATED, 

BY  THEIR    REPRESENTATIVE. 


Allandale  Plantation, 
Sept.  25th,  1S60. 


00 
X 

SO 


CONTENTS. 


I. 

Letter 

FROM 

Liverpool,  England, 

II. 

<( 

<i 

Belfast,  Ireland, 

II. 

« 

(i 

Glasgow,  Scotland, 

IV. 

« 

u 

Bonnie  Doon,    " 

V. 

K 

K 

Edinboro',         "     . 

VI. 

(C 

(( 

London,  England, 

VII. 

it 

(I 

London,        " 

VIII. 

l< 

(I 

Paris,  France, 

IX. 

it 

(« 

Geneva,  Switzerland, 

X. 

il 

(I 

Geneva,            " 

XI. 

C< 

11 

Chamouni,        " 

XII. 

(l 

(1 

Berne,             " 

XIII. 

11 

11 

Lucerne,          " 

XIV. 

(f 

(I 

Zurich,            " 

XV. 

(I 

1C 

Baden-Baden, 

XVI. 

<( 

<( 

Vf  iesbaden,  Germany, 

XVII. 

(I 

u 

Antwerp,  Belgium, 

XVIII. 

(( 

It 

Amsterdam,  Holland, 

XIX. 

(1 

11 

Berlin, 

XX. 

(I 

(1 

Dresden,  Saxony, 

XXI. 

II 

u 

Vienna,  Austria,    . 

PAGE 

1 

1 

14 

19 

25 

2,1 

49 

64 

10 

15 

81 

85 

91 

95 

103 

107 

114 

121 

126 

m 

146 


VI 

i^vn  ijc/i.i  id. 

PAGE 

XXII. 

Letter 

FROM 

Trieste,  Austria, 

•               . 

156 

XXIII. 

u 

tt 

Venice,  Italt, 

. 

.               • 

161 

XXIV. 

« 

(i 

Milan,       "     . 

.               • 

169 

XXV. 

u 

«( 

Genoa,       " 

. 

•               • 

111 

XXVI. 

II 

(( 

Pisa,          "     . 

•               • 

184 

XXVII. 

It 

t( 

Florence,  " 

. 

.               • 

190 

XXVIII. 

It 

(C 

Florence,  " 

»               • 

198 

XXIX. 

a 

<i 

Rome,        " 

. 

•               * 

206 

XXX. 

«i 

(i 

Rome,        " 

•               • 

214 

XXXI. 

a 

u 

"West  Baton  Ron 

GE, 

La., — Home 

Again, 

• 

•           • 

226 

APPENDIX, 

. 

.           •           • 

•           • 

239 

TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER. 


LETTER     NO.  I. 

Queen's  Hotel,  Liverpool,  England, 
July  16,  1859. 

Editors  Advocate  : 

I  arrived  at  this  place  last  evening  at  sundown, 
and  have  availed  myself  of  this  earliest  opportunity 
to  write  you.  I  find  that  I  shall  not  be  able  to 
write  you  as  often  as  you  requested,  but  shall  from 
time  to  time  drop  you  a  line,  which  I  trust  will  at 
least  amuse  if  not  instruct  your  numerous  readers. 
We  left  New  York  on  the  6th  instant,  at  12  o'clock 
m.,  on  board  the  royal  steamer  Persia,  and  arrived 
here  in  nine  days  and  four  hours.  The  trip  would 
have  been  made  in  nine  days,  but  we  were  detained 
fully  four  hours  in  consequence  of  icebergs  off  New- 
foundland, where  we  got  into  quite  a  nest  of  these 
terrors  to  navigators.  "While  among  these  dangers 
of  the  deep,  there  was  great  excitement  on  board. 
1 


2         TEAYELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTEE  ; 

There  was  but  little  sleeping  that  night,  for  we  all  re- 
membered the  melancholy  fate  of  the  President,  and 
the  very  recent  terrible  accident  to  the  Edinburgh  ; 
but  the  good  ship  Persia  carried  us  through  safe, 
running  at  the  rate  of  twenty-four  miles  an  hour  ! 
Icebergs  are  certainly  most  magnificent-looking  ob- 
jects. They  assume  every  imaginable  shape.  Some 
resemble  splendid  cathedrals,  a  mile  long,  while 
others,  like  huge  square  towers,  rise  many  hundred 
feet  above  the  sea,  and  seem  as  solid  as  if  they  rest- 
ed upon  the  very  bottom  of  the  "  vasty  deep."  If 
they  could  be  divested  of  their  terrors,  they  certain- 
ly would  be  delightful  objects  with  which  to  while 
away  the  monotony  of  a  sea-voyage. 

On  shipboard  I  found  many  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances from  Louisiana.  Among  them  our 
Senator,  Hon.  J.  P.  Benjamin,  Gov.  P.  O.  Hebert 
and  lady,  C.  D.  Stewart,  Esq.,  and  family,  of  Point 
Coupee,  Dr.  S.  A.  Smith,  of  Papides,  Mr.  Norton 
and  daughter,  of  New  Orleans,  and  Hon.  George 
Eustis  and  lady.  We  had  quite  a  number  of  dis- 
tinguished strangers  on  board,  among  whom  were 
Ex-President  Comonfort,  of  Mexico,  John  Yan  Bu- 
ren,  and  Mr.  O'Gorman,  the  Irish  patriot.  To  all 
of  these  I  had  the  honor  to  be  introduced ;  with 
two  of  them  I  talked  politics — the  other  I  enter- 
tained, in  true  West  Baton  Rouge  style,  with  a  small 
game  of  draw  poker. 

My  friend,  the  Ex-President,  is  down  upon  his 
native  country,  "and  says  that  the  United  States  will 
be  doing  God's  service  to  go  at  once  and  take  pos- 


OR,  SIX   MONTHS  IN  EUROPE.  3 

session  of  the  whole  of  Mexico.  I  am  decidedly  of 
his  opinion  ;  for  unless  something  is  done,  and  that 
quickly,  like  the  Kilkenny  cats,  they  will  eat  up 
one  another,  and  leave  the  Anglo-Saxon  land-robber 
nothing  but  the  tail  end  of  a  once  beautiful  and  rich 
country.  I  have  spent  this  day  in  sight-seeing  and 
giving  coppers  to  beggars  ;  for  I  must  say  there  are 
more  beggars  in  Liverpool  than  in  our  whole  coun- 
try put  together.  This  being  the  great  commercial 
emporium  of  Great  Britain,  her  merchants  have 
paid  great  attention  to  shipping,  warehouses,  docks, 
wharves,  &c,  which  latter  are  among  the  wonders 
of  the  world.  It  well  pays  one  a  trip  across  the 
Atlantic,  simply  to  see  the  docks  of  this  great  city. 
They  are  built  of  solid  masonry,  of  immense  thick- 
ness, and  will  take  in  vessels  drawing  twenty-seven 
feet  of  water.     They  extend  for  eight  miles  ! 

Every  thing  in  Liverpool  seems  to  have  been 
built  to  stand  as  long  as  time  shall  last,  with  the 
view  of  bordering  on  eternity ;  for  nearly  every 
house  is  built  of  fire-bricks  and  cast-iron  !  being  the 
very  same  materials  with  which  we  set  our  sugar 
kettles,  and  build  our  bagasse  furnaces.  They 
boast  here  of  the  finest  concert-hall  in  all  Europe. 
It  is  called  the  St.  George,  and  is  a  very  magnifi- 
cent affair,  far  ahead  of  any  thing  in  our  country. 
The  hotels  here  are  all  very  small,  but  well  kept, 
having  no  general  eating  room,  but  simply  a  saloon 
or  coffee-room,  where  you  order  your  meals  as  at 
our  restaurants.  The  roast  beef  of  old  England  is 
her  pride  and  her  glory,  and  accounts  in  a  great 


4:         TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

measure  for  the  bravery  of  her  soldiers  on  so  many 
well-fought  battle-fields.  It  gives  them  "  a  stomach 
for  the  fight."  Then  only  think  of  fresh  salmon 
every  morning  for  breakfast,  and  cherries  as  large 
as  walnuts  !  I  visited  the  fish-market  this  morning, 
and  found  many  kinds  of  rare  and  delicious  fish, 
mostly  from  the  Irish  coast.  Prince's  Park  is  the 
favorite  promenade  for  the  denizens  of  this  great 
commercial  metropolis.  It  is  a  delightful  place, 
and  here  I  first  saw  that  species  of  green  velvet 
sward,  so  common  in  "  merrie  England,"  on  which 
the  bold  bands  of  Pobin  Hood  were  accustomed  to 
sleep.  Strange  to  say,  there  is  no  ice  here.  Al- 
though the  climate  in  winter  is  cold  and  disagree- 
able, still,  the  fogs  are  so  heavy  that  they  seem  to 
prevent  that  intense  cold  which  is  required  to  make 
good  ice.  Even  in  the  coifee-houses  or  bar-rooms, 
you  can't  get  any  ice.  As  to  a  mint-julep,  I  don't 
think  such  a  thing  was  ever  seen  in  Liverpool.  The 
cry  is,  mug  of  (h)ale,  'alf  and  'alf,  'ot  whiskey  punch. 
I  find  that  the  English  are  generally  violently  op- 
posed to  the  recent  treaty.  The  press  here  is  unani- 
mous, and  without  any  exception  denounces  Napo- 
leon and  Yilla  Eranca.  They  abuse  him,  and  even 
ridicule  him  ;  but  a  passing  stranger  can  easily  see 
that  there  is  an  all-pervading  secret  dread  that  the 
Frenchman  will  some  day  cross  the  Channel.  I 
forgot  to  tell  you,  that  during  my  voyage  I  became 
very  sea-sick.  After  getting  well,  I  composed  the 
following  verses,  which  I  send  you  in  order  that 
you  may  know  that  you  have  "  a  poet  among  you." 


OK,  BIX  MONTHS  IN  EUROPE. 


SEA-SICKNESS  — A  CURE  FOR  LOVE. 

'Tis  said  that  absence  conquers  love  ; 

But  you,  I  think,  will  say  with  me, 
There's  nothing  that's  so  sure  to  prove 

A  cure  for  love,  as  "  going  to  sea." 

"To  sigh  like  furnace,"  poets  say, 
Will  heal  the  heart  that's  badly  bit, 

Will  drive  "  all  suicides"  away, 
Restore  again  the  wandering  wit. 

Believe  it  not,  but  rather  think 
The  best  of  ways  to  ease  the  heart 

Is — go  to  sea,  and  take  one  drink 

Of  Neptune's  beverage  :  then  you're  smart. 

I  am  here  now,  but  how  to  get  back  home  with- 
out crossing  the  ocean  I  cannot  tell.  I  wish  I 
could.  Oh,  those  terrible  waves  !  that  eternal  rock- 
ing of  the  ship,  that "  d d  compound  of  villainous 

smells  " — bah  !  I  feel  like  Mr.  John  Routh  of  Texas 
once  did.  It  was  his  first  trip  to  Havana.  He 
was  very  sea-sick  the  whole  voyage,  and  suffered 
much.  On  his  arrival  he  went  up  to  the  hotel,  and 
immediately  ordered  his  landlord  to  send  out  and 
buy  him  a  horse.  The  horse  was  bought,  saddled 
and  bridled  ;  Mr.  Routh  stood  in  front  of  his  hotel, 
looking  at  his  prize  with  great  satisfaction  and  de- 
light, when  a  party  of  friends  came  up,  and  wanted, 
in  the  name  of  Heaven,  to  know  what  he  wanted 
with  a  horse.     "  Why,"  said  he,  "  I  am  tired  of 


6         TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

ships  and  sea-sickness.     You  all  can  do  just  as  you 

please,  but  as  for  myself,  I'll  be  d d  if  I  don't 

intend  to  ride  that  horse  back  home."     Good-bye. 
I  go  from  here  to  Wales — thence  to  Ireland. 

Truly  your  friend, 

H.  W.  A. 


OE,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUROPE. 


LETTER   NO.    II. 

Belfast,  Ieeland,  July  20,  1859. 
Editors  Advocate  : 

I  wrote  you  a  few  days  since,  and  gave  the  let- 
ter to  a  friend  who  sailed  yesterday  on  the  Persia. 
I  hope  the  letter  has  gone  safe  to  hand,  and  that 
you  will  have  received  it  before  this  reaches  you. 
"When  I  wrote  you  I  was  on  my  way  from  Liver- 
pool to  Dublin.  I  stopped  in  Wales  for  two  days, 
and  had  a  very  pleasant  time.  On  the  border  of 
"Wales,  near  the  old  town  of  Chester,  is  situated 
Eaton  Hall,  the  seat  of  the  Marquis  of  "Westmin- 
ster, the  richest  man  in  the  British  empire,  his  rev- 
enue being  the  snug  little  sum  of  $2,000,000  per 
annum !  This  estate  of  Eaton  Hall  is  the  most 
magnificent  I  ever  saw,  and  completely  throws  into 
the  shade  every  thing  of  the  kind  in  our  country. 
The  residence  is  built  after  the  Gothic  style,  is  four 
stories  high,  and  500  feet  in  length.  It  is  finished 
in  the  most  costly  and  elaborate  manner,  and  is  ele- 
gantly furnished.     The  hot-houses,  conservatories, 


8         TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAB  PLANTER; 

and  pleasure-gardens,  are  very  extensive,  while  a 
park,  filled  with  deer,  extends  for  miles  around  in 
every  direction.  The  noble  oaks  here  are  almost 
objects  of  veneration.  They  are  very  aged,  and 
carry  you  back  to  the  days  of  the  Druids,  whose 
dark  and  bloody  rites  were  no  doubt  often  cele- 
brated on  this  estate.  The  beautiful  river  Dee  passes 
through  Eaton  Hall,  and  is  spanned  by  many  iron 
bridges,  of  most  airy  and  elegant  construction,  each 
costing  a  small  fortune.  On  this  large  estate  live 
about  one  thousand  tenants.  Their  houses  are  well 
built,  and  they  all  appear  happy,  thrifty,  and  con- 
tented. Thus  far  I  have  travelled  much  through 
England,  Wales,  and  Ireland,  but  have  seen  nothing 
like  the  princely  establishment  of  Eaton  Hall.  It 
is  very  properly  called  the  Paradise  of  the  "  Vale 
.Royal  of  England."  From  Chester  I  passed  on 
through  "Wales,  and  stopped  a  while  at  Bangor,  to 
see  the  celebrated  tubular  bridge  across  the  Menai 
Straits.  This  is  certainly  the  king  of  all  bridges, 
and  is  well  worth  seeing.  It  is  1500  feet  long,  and 
is  supported  by  only  two  arches,  the  spans  being 
432  feet  long.  This,  which  is  considered  to  be  the 
triumph  of  the  art  of  bridge-building,  is  shaped  pre- 
cisely like  a  long  train  of  railroad  cars,  and  made 
of  common  boiler-iron,  riveted  together  with  two 
millions  of  rivets  !  The  cars  pass  through  heavily 
loaded,  and  at  full  speed.  From  Bangor  I  passed 
on  to  Holyhead,  thence  across  the  Channel  to  Dub- 
lin, or  rather  first  to  Kingston,  the  seaport  for  Dub- 
lin, and  thence  by  rail  (six  miles)  to  the  great  Irish 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS   EST   EUKOPE.  9 

capital.  Dublin  is  a  monster  city,  and  of  great  an- 
tiquity. It  is  the  Dabh-lhm  (black  pool)  of  the  an- 
cient Irish,  and  the  Eblana  of  Ptolemy.  Here  one 
hears  the  "  rich  Irish  brogue  "  in  all  its  beauty,  and 
sees  Ireland  as  she  is  at  home.  It  has  been  'well 
said  that  Dublin  is  "  a  faded  corporation,"  for  I  saw 
no  evidences  of  improvement  of  any  kind.  I  spent 
three  days  in  the  city,  and  was  riding  round  in  an 
Irish  car  all  the  time  sight-seeing,  and  I  could  only 
find  one  new  house  building,  and  that  was  a  nun- 
nery. Still  this  is  a  great  city,  and  has  many  ele- 
gant if  not  magnificent  buildings  ;  all,  however, 
bear  the  marks  of  time.  St.  Patrick's  Cathedral  is 
an  object  of  great  curiosity,  for  here  lie  the  bones 
of  Dean  Swift.  It  is  a  splendid  specimen  of  old 
Gothic  art,  but  is  surrounded  by  squalid  wretched- 
ness and  ragged  vice.  It  really  seems  to  be  the 
centre  of  the  "  five  points  "  of  Dublin.  I  have 
never  in  all  my  life  seen  so  many  old  clothes,  old 
shoes,  and  old  hats,  offered  for  sale,  as  are  to  be 
found  on  every  street  surrounding  St.  Patrick's  Ca- 
thedral. Dean  Swift  was  a  great  man  in  his  day. 
In  his  Drapier  Letters,  and  numerous  political 
tracts,  he  defended  the  Irish  with  great  zeal  and 
ability,  but  was  doubtless  actuated  more  by  his  ha- 
tred for  the  English  than  love  for  the  Irish.  His 
memory  is  deeply  revered  by  every  Irishman,  and 
his  grave  is  visited  almost  daily  by  hundreds  from 
all  parts  of  the  world.  As  I  stood  by  the  cold  mar- 
ble which  marks  his  burial  place,  I  thought  of  the 

devoted,  the  ill-requited  Vanessa,  the  constant  but 
1* 


10        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

unhappy  Stella.  I  thought  of  Dryden  and  of  Pope, 
of  Addison  and  Steel,  of  Bolingbroke  and  Gay,  all 
of  whom  paid  court  to  the  mighty  Dean,  and 
thought  it  an  honor  to  be  considered  his  friend. 
Swift  died  a  wretched  death.  He  outlived  his 
greatness,  and  became  a  drivelling  idiot.  He  made 
a  strange  will. 

"  He  gave  the  little  wealth  he  had 
To  build  a  house  for  fools  and  mad ; 
And  showed  by  one  satiric  touch 
No  nation  wanted  it  so  much." 

The  river  Liffey,  so  much  boasted  of  by  patriotic 
Irishmen,  is  a  small  affair,  not  as  large  as  the  Bayou 
Grosse-tete,  while  the  celebrated  College  Green  is 
nothing  to  compare  to  our  Jackson  Square  in  New 
Orleans.  Trinity  College  bears  much  evidence  of 
antiquity.  It  is  the  Alma  Mater  of  nearly  all  the 
great  men  of  Ireland,  and  is  looked  on  with  much 
pride  and  veneration.  In  point  of  grandeur,  size 
and  elegance,  Cambridge,  Yale,  and  the  University 
of  Virginia,  are  all  far  ahead  of  it.  It  has,  how- 
ever, fourteen  hundred  students,  many  of  whom  are 
Americans.  In  the  large  and  spacious  Catholic 
Cemetery,  I  found  the  graves  of  Curran  and  O'Con- 
nell — the  one  the  great  lawyer,  the  other  the  great 
orator.  To  O'Connell  has  been  erected  a  splendid 
monument  of  granite,  that  towers  proudly  above  all 
the  rest,  and  stands  in  its  solitary  grandeur  without 
any  inscription  whatever.  It  was  built  by  the 
masses  of  the  Irish  people,  each  giving  a  few  pen- 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUEOPE.  11 

nies  apiece.  Dublin  has  but  few  works  of  high  art. 
In  Sackville  street  (its  Broadway)  is  a  monument 
and  statue  to  Lord  Nelson,  and  in  the  cliurches  are 
a  few  fine  pieces  of  painting  and  statuary.  The 
Phoenix  Park  and  Botanic  Gardens  are  perhaps  the 
greatest  curiosities.  They  are  well  kept,  and  are 
deservedly  the  pride  of  the  city.  Dublin  has  a  pop- 
ulation of  about  300,000  inhabitants,  and  is  the  seat 
of  the  political,  ecclesiastical,  and  educational  insti- 
tutions of  Ireland.  It  contains  seven  friaries,  three 
convents,  and  nine  nunneries.  The  river  Liffey  di- 
vides the  city  almost  in  its  centre.  On  Sackville 
street,  on  the  road  to  Phoenix  Park,  you  pass  a 
large  number  of  miserable  mud  hovels,  with  thatch- 
ed roofs,  which  look  as  if  they  had  been  built  by 
St.  Patrick  himself,  immediately  after  he  had  killed 
all  the  snakes  and  frogs  of  the  "  Emerald  Island." 
The  whole  country  here  is  arming,  the  militia  is 
training,  and  all  seem  to  be  on  the  look-out  for  Na- 
poleon. I  saw  10,000  militia  going  through  their 
evolutions  in  the  Park.  They  are  fine,  stout,  big- 
boned  looking  men,  and  are  officered  by  the  nobility 
of  the  land.  This  is  the  true  secret  of  that  great  suc- 
cess which  attends  the  British  arms  the  wide  world 
over.  The  titled  lords  and  gentlemen  of  wealth 
are  the  officers  of  the  army  and  navy,  and  in  every 
great  battle  they  lead  their  men.  They  fight  like 
Nelson  for  victory  or  "Westminster  Abbey.  While 
in  Dublin  I  visited  the  manufactory  of  the  poplins, 
that  beautiful  tissue  of  wool  and  silk  which  makes 
up  those  lovely  dresses,  and  runs  the  ladies  all  crazy 


12        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER 


with  delight.  On  leaving  Dublin,  I  passed  by  the 
Hill  of  Howth,  through  the  counties  of  Meath, 
Louth  and  Down,  to  this  city  of  Belfast.  "We  stop- 
ped an  hour  or  two  at  Drogheda,  and  visited  the 
field  on  which  was  fought  the  "  great  battle  of  the 
Boyne,"  where  "William  III.  met  James  II.,  and,  in 
"Western  language,  completely  "  wore  him  out." 
Perhaps  no  battle  in  ancient  or  modern  times  was 
ever  so  hallowed  as  this  battle  of  the  Boyne,  by  the 
Protestants  of  Ireland.  Numerous  ballads  have 
been  written,  generally  couched  in  the  exulting  or 
braggadocio  style,  which,  when  sung  in  the  presence 
of  the  Irish  Catholic,  invariably  stirs  his  blood  to 
madness,  and  rushes  him  with  deadly  violence  upon 
his  Orange  foe.  Near  Drogheda,  in  the  county  of 
Meath,  is  the  seat  of  the  ancient  Halls  of  Tara.  At 
present  nothing  is  left  save  a  few  melancholy  ruins, 
to  show  the  spot  so  celebrated  in  poetry  and -in 
song.  The  hill  of  Tara  was  the  ancient  seat  of  the 
Irish  monarchs  when  Ireland  was  free,  and  her  harp 
sent  forth  the  soul  of  music.  Her  sweet  bard  has 
but  too  truly  portrayed  the  deep  melancholy  which 
now  surrounds  that  deserted  spot. 

"  The  harp  that  once  through  Tara's  halls 

The  soul  of  music  shed, 
Now  hangs  as  mute  on  Tara's  walls 

As  if  that  soul  had  fled. 
So  sleeps  the  pride  of  former  days, 

So  glory's  thrill  is  o'er  ; 
And  hearts  that  once  beat  high  for  praise 

Now  feel  that  pulse  no  more." 


OR,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  13 

Adieu,  my  dear  sirs,  'tis  late  at  night,  and  1  am 
tired.  I  go  to-morrow  to  the  Giants'  Causeway, 
and  back  again  to  this  place,  thence  to  Glasgow, 
Scotland. 

Your  friend, 

H.  W.  A. 


14:        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER; 


LETTER    NO.  III. 

Glasgow,  Scotland,  July  23,  1859. 
Editors  Advocate  : 

I  arrived  here  to-day,  and  take  this  earliest  op- 
portunity to  write  you.  In  my  last  letter  I  did  not 
have  time  or  space  to  tell  you  of  Belfast.  It  is  the 
most  growing  city  of  Ireland,  and  already  is  next 
to  Dublin  in  point  of  wealth  and  population.  Bel- 
fast has  a  population  of  nearly  200,000  inhabitants, 
and  is  a  well-built,  neat,  and  thriving  place.  This 
is  the  centre  of  the  linen  trade.  In  the  suburbs  of 
the  city  are  large  manufactories,  where  those  pure 
and  spotless  linens  are  made,  which  delight  to  cover 
the  well-turned  limbs  of  "  God's  fairest  creatures." 
For  many  a  mile  along  the  railway  you  see  acres  of 
linens  bleaching  upon  the  smooth  green  sward.  The 
city  of  Belfast  is  mostly  inhabited  by  Protestants, 
who  seem  to  hate  their  Catholic  countrymen  with 
"  a  holy  hatred."  Until  this  year,  the  anniversary 
of  the  battle  of  the  Boyne,  the  2d  day  of  July, 
witnessed  many  a  bloody  nose   and  broken  head. 


OR,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  15 

Orangemen  and  Catholics  met  in  deadly  feud,  and 

"  d d  eacli  other's  eyes,"  and  beat  each  other's 

heads  with  sticks  and  stones,  till  overpowered  by 
the  police,  backed  by  the  militia.  In  consequence, 
however,  of  a  great  religious  revival  going  on  now 
in  all  the  North  of  Ireland,  these  disgraceful  fights 
have  been  suspended.  The  day  I  arrived  in  Belfast 
I  attended  a  "  street-preaching,"  where  I  found  a 
large  assemblage,  mostly  of  laboring  men  and  wo- 
men, who  seemed  to  pay  great  attention  to  the  min- 
ister. All  of  a  sudden,  a  full-grown,  athletic  man 
would  fall  down  as  if  in  spasms.  His  friends  would 
assemble  around  him,  and  bear  him  off  amid  the 
soul-stirring  appeals  and  solemn  warnings  of  the 
man  of  God.  I  heard  no  shoutings,  or  other  noisy 
demonstrations  under  religious  excitement.  All 
was  as  quiet  and  still  as  the  Court  of  Death.  I 
have  witnessed  many  a  camp-meeting  among  our 
Methodist  friends,  where  all  is  generally  bustle  and 
excitement,  where  the  screams  of  frightened  women 
are  mingled  with  the  prayers  of  a  dozen  preachers, 
all  addressing  the  throne  of  grace  at  one  and  the 
same  time.  The  "  field-preaching  "  in  Belfast  was 
altogether  different,  and  seemed  to  be  blessed  witli 
great  good.  If  it  will  do  no  other  good  but  tame 
the  savage  spirit  of  the  "  wild  Irishman,"  and  make 
him  quit  the  grog-shop,  thousands  of  wives  and 
children  will  bless  the  good  men  who  have  preached 
the  word  of  God  amoiifi;  them.  From  Belfast  to 
Giants'  Causeway  is  a  short  distance  through  the 
countv  of  Antrim.     At  the  termination  of  the  rail- 


16        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

way  you  take  a  carriage,  and  after  a  drive  of  five 
miles  you  reach  the  celebrated  Causeway.  The 
coast  here  is  distinguished  by  curious  and  magnifi- 
cent basaltic  cliffs  and  caves.  The  Causeway  is  a 
platform  projecting  into  the  sea  from  the  base  of  a 
stratified  cliff  400  feet  in  height,  and  resembles  a 
pier  700  feet  in  length,  and  350  feet  in  breadth. 
There  are  about  40,000  perfectly-formed,  closely- 
united,  dark-colored  polygonal  columns,  mostly 
pentagons.  Their  depth  below  the  surface  has 
never  been  ascertained.  The  popular  legend  says 
that  this  is  the  work  of  a  giant  race,  seeking  to  con- 
struct a  road  to  Scotland  across  the  sea.  To  the  ge- 
ologist this  formation  is  very  interesting,  and  shows 
how  symmetrical  nature  is  in  all  her  works.  The 
columns  are  placed  as  close  together  as  man  could 
possibly  place  them  ;  they  will  average  from  twelve 
to  eighteen  inches  in  diameter,  and  are  perfect  pen- 
tagons and  hexagons.  The  whole  are  of  dark  ba- 
saltic rock,  and  are  evidently  of  volcanic  formation. 
After  leaving  the  Causeway,  the  same  basaltic 
formation  is  seen  for  miles  on  the  sea-coast,  one  of 
which,  a  perpendicular  bluff  of  many  hundred  feet 
in  height,  resembles  in  some  degree  the  organ  of  a 
huge  cathedral ;  the  basaltic  columns  resembling 
in  a  remarkable  manner  the  pipes  of  an  immense 
organ.  It  was  here  that  a  huge  ship  belonging  to 
the  "  invincible  Armada  "  in  the  reign  of  Queen 
Elizabeth,  in  passing  along  the  Irish  coast,  mistook 
this  "  basaltic  organ  "  for  a  castle,  and  fired  into  it 
"  full  many  an  iron  messenger  of  death."    The  balls 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS   IN   EUEOPE.  17 

of  course  did  no  damage,  save  the  breaking  of  a  few 
magnificent  natural  columns.  History  tells  us  that 
the  ship  ran  aground  near  the  Causeway  ;  was  taken 
possession  of  next  day  by  the  Irish,  and  on  board 
they  found  a  splendid  organ,  which  was  sent  to 
London,  and  is  now  placed  in  Westminster  Abbey, 
as  a  lasting  monument  to  the  folly  and  presumption 
of  the  Spaniards  in  attempting  to  conquer  the  "  mis- 
tress of  the  seas."  The  Giants'  Causeway  being  one 
of  the  great  wonders  of  the  world,  is  of  course  visit- 
ed by  every  traveller,  who  brings  away  his  pockets 
full  of  rocks,  and  often  his  hat  "  full  of  bricks,"  as  the 
Irish  whiskey  is  remarkably  good  in  that  particular 
latitude.  For  many  miles  back  from  the  coast  there 
is  no  timber,  consequently  the  whole  Irish  coast, 
like  "Wales,  presents  rather  a  dreary  appearance. 
The  soil,  however,  is  very  rich,  and  produces  the 
cereals  to  great  perfection.  In  fact,  the  lands  of  Ire- 
land are  generally  far  superior  to  those  of  England 
and  Scotland.  Back  again  to  Belfast  (forty-five 
miles),  where  we  took  steamer  for  this  city.  From 
Belfast  to  Glasgow,  across  the  Irish  Sea,  is  about 
twelve  hours'  run.  On  our  route  we  had  many  in- 
cidents to  amuse  us,  and  furnish  much  food  for  con- 
versation. A  large  number  of  Scotch  Presbyterian 
ministers  were  on  board,  returning  home  from  their 
religious  labors  at  the  revival  meetings  in  Belfast. 
After  supper  we  were  generally  seated  around  the 
table,  some  reading,  some  talking,  and  others  purring 
the  "  intoxicating  weed,"  when  one  of  the  clergy- 
men approached  us,  and  asked  if  we  had  any  ob- 


18        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

jection  to  their  holding  prayers  on  the  steamer. 
Most  of  us  of  course  said  we  had  no  objection.  In 
fact,  all,  I  believe,  assented,  but  one  man,  a  square- 
built,  short-necked,  pop-eyed  individual,  who  got 
up  out  of  his  chair,  and  said  "  that  he  objected  to 

having  any  such  d d  nonsense  where  he  was." 

An  aged  clergyman,  sitting  by  me,  raised  his  hands 
in  horror  at  this  seeming  blasphemy.  Said  he  to 
me,  "  My  God  !  did  you  hear  that,  sir  ?  I  wonder 
that  the  Lord  does  not  send  a  storai  upon  the  sea 
and  drown  every  one  of  us."  And  then  the  old 
man  would  get  up,  and  in  agony  of  soul  walk  the 
steamer,  muttering  all  the  while  inaudible  prayers. 
The  captain  was  sent  for,  who,  after  talking  a  while 
to  our  bullet-necked,  pop-eyed  friend,  prevailed 
upon  him  to  withdraw  his  objections,  but  he  could 
not  be  persuaded  to  remain  to  prayers.  He  stalked 
out  of  the  cabin  with  rude  violence,  and  his  loud 
and  long  curses  had  scarcely  died  away,  when  our 
aged  minister  opened  the  lids  of  the  sacred  volume, 
and  commenced  the  exercises  of  evening  prayer. 
Good-bye.    I  shall  write  again  soon. 

Your  friend, 
H.W. 


OE,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUROPE.  19 


LETTER    NO.  IV. 

"  To  banks  and  braes  o'  bonnie  Doon, 

IIow  can  ye  bloom  sae  fresh  and  fair? 
How  can  yo  chant,  ye  little  birds, 

And  I  so  weary,  fu'  o1  care  ? 
Thou'lt  break  my  heart,  thou  warbling  bird, 

That  wantons  through  the  flowering  thorn 
Thou  minds  me  o'  departed  joys — 

Departed— never  to  return." 

Bonnie  Doon,  Scotland,  July  25,  1859. 
Editors  Advocate  : 

I  wrote  you  a  few  clays  ago  from  Glasgow, 
since  which  time  I  have  travelled  through  many 
important  places  in  Scotland,  and  last  night  slept 
at  this  place,  the  "  Burns  Arms  Inn,"  situated  at 
the  immediate  spot  where  the  great  poet  was  born. 
I  arrived  at  the  village  of  Ayr  on  yesterday,  and 
walked  out  to  the  Bonnie  Doon,  along  whose 
"  banks  and  braes  "  I  spent  the  evening  in  sweet 
meditation.  It  was  here  that  Burns  wrote  many 
of  his  best  pieces.  His  Tam  O'Shanter  is  generally 
considered  one  of  his  very  best,  and  will  live  as 
long  as  his  native  lulls  endure,  or  the  English  Ian- 


20        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

guage  exists.  In  the  Burns  monument  here  are  two 
very  good  statues,  one  of  Tarn  O'Shanter,  and  the 
other  of  Souter  Johnny,  by  Thorn.  These  are  life- 
like, and  represent  Tarn  a  few  moments  before  he 
takes  his  celebrated  ride,  in  the  very  height  of  his 
enjoyment, 

"  O'er  all  the  ills  of  life  victorious." 

The  old  Kirk  Alloway  looks  as  if  it  were  still  full  of 
bogles,  while  the  same  stone  bridge  across  the  Doon 
is  yet  standing,  and  the  very  spot  (its  centre)  is 
marked  where  Maggie  lost  her  tail  by  the  fierce 
grip  of  "  Cutty  Sark."  Bonnie  Doon  is  a  small 
concern  about  the  size  of  Thompson's  Creek  in  "West 
Feliciana.  It  runs  through  a  charming  country, 
and  is  decidedly  the  most  poetic  stream  I  have  yet 
seen.  Ayrshire  is  renowned  for  its  iron  works  and 
fine  cattle.  Here  every  inch  of  ground  is  under 
the  highest  state  of  cultivation,  while  the  red  flames 
from  the  iron  furnaces  give  the  surrounding  country 
a  most  picturesque  appearance.  In  Bums'  day,  his 
Highland  Mary  may  have  been  very  pretty  for  all 
I  know,  but  I  have  not  seen  a  pretty  woman  yet  in 
Scotland.  They  all  have  red  hair,  high  cheek-bones, 
and  freckled  faces.  The  women  here  work  in  the 
fields,  plough,  hoe,  and  do  all  kinds  of  manual  la- 
bor. They  work  twelve  hours  a  day,  from  six  to 
six,  and  get  only  a  shilling,  that  is,  twenty-four 
cents  in  our  money.  Still  they  appear  happy  and 
contented.  I  notice  that  the  farmers  work  these 
women  in  their  fields  generally  in  gangs  of  fifteen 


OE,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUKOPE.  21 

or  twenty,  witli  a  tall,  stout  Scotchman  as  overseer, 
who  walks  among  them,  and  occasionally  stirs  them 
up.  The  Scotch  farmers  are  very  celebrated  for 
their  great  knowledge  of  agriculture,  and  untiring 
perseverance/.  Their  land  is  much  poorer  than  that 
of  Ireland,  but  they  are  much  more  successful  farm- 
ers, and  live  much  better  than  the  Irish.  I  saw  to- 
day a  splendid  lot  of  Ayrshire  cows  ;  they  are  not 
so  large  as  the  Devon  and  Durham,  but  are  better 
milkers.  From  here  I  shall  return  to  Glasgow, 
thence  to  Loch  Lomond  and  the  Highlands  of  Scot- 
land. Glasgow  is  a  great  city,  the  second  in  the 
United  Kingdom  in  many  things,  and  the  first  in 
ship-building.  It  contains  over  400,000  inhabitants, 
and  is  now  the  most  thriving  place  in  Scotland,  or 
perhaps  in  all  Europe.  Here  all  the  Cunard  steam- 
ers are  built,  and  here  are  manufactured  immense 
quantities  of  Scotch  woollen  goods,  plaids,  tweeds, 
&c.  This  is  the  best  place  for  building  steamships 
in  the  world,  as  a  Glasgow  ship  is  considered  the 
safest. 

The  city  is  situated  very  beautifully  on  the 
banks  of  the  Clyde.  The  scenery  on  this  river  is 
charming.  It  is  about  as  wide  as  the  Ohio  until 
you  reach  Dumbarton,  where  it  begins  to  narrow, 
and  the  higher  you  go  the  smaller  it  becomes,  until 
you  arrive  at  Glasgow,  when  it  is  a  very  small 
stream,  scarcely  large  enough  for  a  steamer  to  turn 
round.  In  reading  the  Scottish  Chiefs,  you  will  re- 
member what  terrible  deeds  were  done  at  Dumbar- 
ton.    There  Bruce  performed  prodigies   of  valor. 


22        TKAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ' 

It  is  a  round,  rugged  rock,  separated  from  the  main- 
land, and  lifts  its  head  many  hundred  feet  above 
the  waters  of  the  Leven  and  the  Clyde,  which  make 
their  confluence  here.  For  a  thousand  years  it  has 
been  considered  a  stronghold,  and  has  passed  suc- 
cessively into  the  hands  of  Baliol,  Bruce,  Queen 
Mary,  Charles  I.,  and  Cromwell.  As  our  noble 
steamer,  the  Leopard,  passed  by,  I  felt  as  if  the 
spirits  of  the  mighty  dead  were  still  hovering  around 
this  "  dreadful  fortress,"  so  often  drenched  with  hu- 
man gore.  The  captain  of  the  steamer,  a  kind- 
hearted,  bluff  sailor,  pointed  out  every  object  of  in- 
terest as  we  passed  along.  In  fact,  I  find  the  peo- 
ple here  all  very  kind  and  attentive  to  Americans. 
They  esteem  us  very  highly,  and  claim  us  as  kins- 
folk, and  in  the  event  of  a  war  with  France,  they 
count  upon  us  to  help  them  out.  As  we  passed  up 
the  beautiful  Clyde,  the  captain  called  out  to  me, 
"  Do  you  see  that  tall  rock  just  above  Dumbar- 
ton ?  "  «  Yes,"  said  I ;  "  what  is  it  called  ?  "  He 
replied,  "  That  is  the  sister  of  Dumbarton,  and  is 
called  Dumbeck."  My  friend,  Dr.  Smith,  gave  a 
broad  smile,  which  our  Scotch  captain  fully  recip- 
rocated. Glasgow  has  many  elegant  buildings,  and 
much  fine  statuary.  At  every  cross-road  and  pub- 
lic square  are  bronze  figures  of  Scotland's  most 
eminent  men.  The  University  of  Glasgow  is  a 
magnificent  building.  This  institution  is  well  sus- 
tained, and  stands  second  only  to  that  of  Edinboro\ 
In  one  of  its  numerous  halls  I  noticed  a  fine  gallery 
of  paintings,  some  by  those  old  masters,  Titian  and 


OE,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  23 

Guido,  Domeiiichino  and  Reubens.  These  paint- 
ings are  originals,  and  appear  to  have  been  well  se- 
lected. The  Museum  of  Geology  and  Mineralogy, 
attached  to  the  University,  is  doubtless  the  best  in 
Scotland.  The  specimens  are  well  arranged  and 
classified,  and  must  afford  the  student  of  natural 
science  rare  chances  for  study  and  improvement. 
"While  in  Glasgow,  I  visited  the  spot  on  which  for- 
merly stood  the  celebrated  Tolbooth.  To  me  it  was 
a  classic  place,  and  full  of  intense  interest.  While 
there  I  was  involuntarily  carried  back  to  the  days 
of  Hob  Roy  McGregor  and  his  facetious  cousin,  the 
Baillie  Nicol  Jarvie — to  Dougal  the  turnkey,  and 
young  Mr.  Osbaldistone.  Alas  !  the  McGregor  no 
more  stands  upon  his  native  heath,  the  good  Baillie 
will  never  enter  his  favorite  saut-market  acrain. 
The  red-headed  Dougal  sleeps  with  his  Highland 
fathers,  while  no  doubt  the  spirits  of  master  Osbal- 
distone and  Diana  Vernon  are  now  in  close  commu- 
nion in  other  climes.  I  am  travelling  in  company 
with  Dr.  S.  A.  Smith  of  Rapides.  I  find  him  a 
very  intelligent  and  agreeable  companion.  He  is  a 
good  historian,  with  a  very  retentive  memory,  and 
has  been  of  much  service  to  me  in  our  travels.  "We 
are  having  a  delightful  time,  intermingled  frequent- 
ly with  fun  and  frolic.  I  hope  that  the  good  people 
of  our  State  will  escape  our  annual  scourge,  and 
that  good  health  and  .general  prosperity  may  bless 
them.  Adieu.  I  shall  write  you  from  Loch  Ka- 
trine. England,  Scotland,  and  Ireland,  are  all  arm- 
ing for  the  great  contest  which  they  imagine  must 


24        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  J 

sooner  or  later  take  place  between  the  Saxon  and 
the  Gaul.  In  every  direction  the  drum  and  fife  are 
heard.  Around  the  peasant's  fireside  and  in  the 
palace  hall,  "  the  war  with  France  "  is  the  great 
topic  of  discussion.  Happy  America !  May  she 
always  follow  the  good  advice  of  Washington,  and 
make  no  entangling  alliances. 

Yours  truly, 

H.  W.  A. 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN    EUROPE.  25 


LETTEE    NO.    V. 

Clarendon  Hotel,  Edinboro',  Scotland, 
August  1,  1859. 

Editors  Advocate  : 

I  believe  I  wrote  you  last  from  "  Bonnie  Doon," 
since  which  time  I  have  travelled  much  by  rail- 
road, stage,  and  steamer  "  o'er  the  hills  and  far  awa,"" 
until  I  have  "  pulled  up  "  for  a  resting  spell  at  this 
"  Western  Athens,"  which  is  full  of  metaphysics 
and  oatmeal  porridge,  of  quarterly  Reviews  and 
Scotch  whiskey.  This  great  city  is  the  capital  of 
Mid-Lothian,  and  is  the  metropolis  of  Scotland.  It 
stands  in  latitude  CO0,  and  is  consequently  rather  a 
chilly  place  in  the  month  of  December.  The  city 
is  built  on  three  parallel  ridges  of  considerable  ele- 
vation. The  houses  are  made  of  a  beautiful  white 
freestone,  obtained  -from  quarries  near  the  city,  and 
are  remarkably  handsome.  The  ridge  or  elevation 
on  which  the  old  town  is  built,  is  much  higher  and 
more  abrupt  than  the  new  town,  consequently  the 
city  has  a  very  picturesque   appearance.     The  val- 


26        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER 


lej  between  the  towns  was  formerly  tilled  with 
water,  and  was  called  the  North  Loch.  It  is  now, 
however,  a  delightful  place.  The  water  is  all 
drained  off,  and  it  is  principally  used  as  an  aristo- 
cratic park,  where  the  children  and  nurses  of  the 
nobility  and  gentry  of  Edinboro'  repair  to  "  air  " 
themselves,  for  the  ragged  mob  and  barelegged 
loafers  are  kept  out  by  bars  and  bolts  and  sturdy 
policemen.  In  Edinboro'  a  hard-working  mechanic 
with  his  freckled-faced  son,  can  it  is  true,  go  to 
the  top  of  Arthur's  Seat,  and  feast  his  eyes  on  the 
beauties  of  this  great  city.  He  can  then  descend 
and  go  to  the  base  of  Sir  "Walter's  monument,  and 
look  with  pleasure  and  with  pride  on  Scotland's 
greatest  man  ;  but  let  him  attempt  to  enter  this  iron- 
grated  aristocratic  park,  and  he  would  be  kicked 
out  with  as  little  ceremony  as  a  negro  would  be  from 
a  public  ball-room  in  Baton  Rouge.  This  is  not 
in  population  a  great  city,  as  compared  with  Lon- 
don, or  Paris,  or  Vienna  ;  but  in  literature,  in  the 
arts,  in  medicine,  in  law,  philosophy,  and  the  nat- 
ural sciences,  in  poetry  and  in  song,  and  above  all 
in  literary  periodicals,  Edinboro'  stands  pre-emi- 
nently ahead  of  all  the  civilized  world.  In  the 
long  list  of  immortal  names  that  have  been  written 
on  the  scroll  of  fame,  Scotia  claims  her  full  por- 
tion, and  more,  perhaps,  than  any  other  nation. 
Wallace  and  Bruce,  Scott  and  Burns,  and  Allan 
Ramsay,  Dugald  Stewart,  Reid  and  Playlair,  Knox, 
Brown,  and  Chalmers,  Hume,  Mackintosh,  and 
Robertson,  are  names  that  will  live  "  till  the  last 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPK.  27 

syllable  of  recorded  time."  It  is  indeed  a  matter 
of  great  astonishment  that  Scotland,  a  small,  hilly, 
poor,  rugged  country,  should  have  given  so  many- 
great  men  to  the  world.  Edinboro'  has  a  popula- 
tion of  100,000  inhabitants;  about  the  size  of  Cin- 
cinnati. It  is  very  pleasantly  situated  near  the 
Frith  of  Forth,  and  is  now  accessible  by  railroads 
from  all  quarters.  To  a  stranger,  this  city  presents 
many  strange  sights — the  buildings  frequently  tow- 
ering up  to  the  height  of  eight  or  ten  stories,  while 
the  railway  passes  over  the  tops  of  houses,  and  you 
seem  really  to  be  travelling  on  an  air  line.  The 
principal  streets  in  the  old  town,  and  the  ones 
known  to  history  and  to  fame,  are  Canongate  and 
High  street.  This  street  (for  they  both  are  the 
same)  is  a  mile  long,  and  rises  gradually  from 
Holyrood  Palace,  with  a  regular  and  steep  inclina- 
tion, until  it  terminates  in  the  huge  rock  on  which 
is  built  the  castle,  443  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.  It  was  on  this  street  that  the  celebrated  John 
Knox  lived.  His  house  is  still  standing,  and  the 
window  is  pointed  out,  from  which  he  thundered 
forth  his  terrible  anathemas  against  the  follies  and 
the  wickedness  of  the  times.  He  was  no  tempor- 
izing, milk-and-cider,  cream-cheese  preacher.  He 
spared  neither  king  nor  queen,  priest  nor  people, 
but  boldly  lashed  vice  wherever  found,  in  pam- 
pered wealth  or  squalid  poverty.  lie  cried  aloud 
and  spared  not.  Elegance  of  rhetoric  and  delicacy 
of  language  were  not  common  in  his  time,  and 
would   have   been  lost  in   the   tumult.     Tie  spoke 


28        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

and  wrote  his  honest  thoughts  in  terse  and  even 
homely  language.  He  appeared  in  the  pulpit  not 
in  the  graceful  folds  of  the  toga,  or  the  simple  and 
unpretending  dress  of  a  reforming  clergyman,  but 
he  came  as  a  warrior,  clad  in  mail,  armed  at  all 
points,  for  defence  and  aggression.  He  was  inflex- 
ible in  maintaining  what  he  felt  to  be  right,  and 
intrepid  in  defending  it.  On  his  death  he  was  bu- 
ried in  the  churchyard  of  St.  Giles,  and  his  eulo- 
gist pronounced  these  memorable  words — "  Here 
lies  he  who  never  feared  the  face  of  man."  The 
most  remarkable  place  in  Edinboro'  is  of  course 
the  castle.  It  is  situated  on  the  top  of  a  high  rock, 
and  is  a  cluster  of  irregular  buildings,  begirt  with 
embrazured  walls,  except  on  the  south  side,  where 
the  castle  rises  perpendicularly  with  the  rock, 
which  it  emulates  in  sternness  of  aspect  and  lofty 
grandeur.  From  a  window  on  this  portion  of  the 
castle  you  have  the  best  prospect  in  Scotland. 
Just  under  you  is  the  celebrated  "  Grass  Market," 
and  many  of  the  most  busy  thoroughfares  of  the 
city,  while  opposite  rise  in  all  their  majesty  Salis- 
bury Crags  and  Arthur's  Seat. 

The  fortress  contains  generally  a  small  number 
of  soldiers.  It  has  accommodations  for  2,000,  and 
the  armory  for  30,000  stand  of  arms.  I  saw  here  a 
huge  cannon  made  of  malleable  iron ;  its  bore  is 
two  feet  six  inches  in  diameter,  and  ought  to  carry 
a  ball  about  the  size  of  a  flour-barrel !  This  mon- 
ster gun  was  made  in  Mons,  in  Belgium,  A.  D. 
1486.     The  castle  contains  a  great  many  articles  of 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS     IN   EUROPE.  29 

curiosity  and  a  number  of  historic  apartments. 
Here  James  YI.  was  born.  Here  Queen  Mary 
was  confined.  Here  are  the  regalia  of  Scotland, 
the  sceptre,  crown,  and  sword.  Here  also  are  the 
instruments  of  torture,  used  in  the  days  of  Charles 
and  of  James  ;  the  thumb-screw  and  the  iron 
boot,  the  wheel  and  the  rack,  melancholy  memen- 
tos of  the  dreadful  persecutions  of  the  Covenanters. 
The  Palace  of  Holy  rood,  or  Holy  rood  House,  is 
situated  at  the  lower  or  eastern  extremity  of  Can- 
ongate  street.  It  is  a  huge,  square  building, 
with  an  open  central  court  about  100  feet  square. 
In  the  north-west  angle  of  the  palace  are  the  apart- 
ments of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots,  nearly  in  the  same 
state  as  when  left  by  that  unfortunate  princess. 
The  furniture  looks  old  and  rickety,  and  the  beds 
and  bedding,  and  fancy  curtains,  and  regal  trap- 
pings, are  all  faded  and  worm-eaten.  It  is  here  in 
this  very  room  that  the  spots  of  blood  on  the  floor 
are  shown  the  visitor,  it  being  the  place  where  the 
hapless  Kizzio  was  murdered  in  the  very  presence 
of  his  mistress.  Adjoining  the  palace,  on  the  north 
side,  is  the  chapel  in  'which  Queen  Mary  was  mar- 
ried to  Lord  Darnley.  Here  are  deposited  the  re-» 
mains  of  many  of  the  kings  and  noble  personages 
of  Scotland.  This  old  palace  is  fitted  up  at  present, 
or  rather  a  suite  of  rooms  has  been  fitted  up,  for 
the  express  benefit  of  his  Highness  the  Prince  of 
Wales,  who  now  resides  here,  and  is  studying 
chemistry  at  the  University.  He  is  an  ordinary- 
looking  youth,  of  modest  demeanor  and  agreeable 


30        TEAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  * 

manners.  Edinboro'  is  all  agog  because  lie  lias 
come  here  to  attend  the  University.  He  puts  on 
no  airs,  but  goes  about  the  city  in  a  plain  and  un- 
pretending manner.  There  are  23  churches  here, 
of  what  is  called  the  "  Established  Church." 
Among  them  the  finest  are  St.  George's,  St.  Ste- 
phen's, St.  Mary's,  and  St.  Andrew's.  Of  the  Free 
churches  there  are  25.  There  are  15  United  Pres- 
byterian and  8  Episcopalian  churches.  St.  John's 
in  Prince's  street  and  St.  George's  in  York  place  are 
elegant  structures.  There  are  also  in  the  city  6 
Baptist,  3  Methodist,  3  Congregational,  2  Seceders, 
1  Reformed  Presbyterian,  and  2  Roman  Catholic 
churches.  The  Greyfriars  churchyard  attached  to 
the  old  Greyfriars  church,  is  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting spots  in  Scotland.  Here  lie  buried  Sir 
George  Mackenzie,  Allan  Ramsay  the  poet,  and 
Robertson  the  historian.  In  this  churchyard  also 
are  buried  many  who  suffered  martyrdom  in  the 
times  of  the  persecution,  and  here  it  was  on  the 
top  of  the  tombstones,  over  the  sacred  graves  of 
their  fathers,  that  the  national  covenant  was  signed 
in  1638.  In  the  way  of  monuments  Edinboro'  has 
some  splendid  specimens.  The  most  elegant  is  that 
erected  to  Sir  Walter  Scott,  on  Prince's  street.  It 
is  a  Gothic  cross,  200  feet  high.  A  statue,  in  sit- 
ting posture,  of  the  great  poet  and  novelist,  occu- 
pies the  platform  of  the  monument,  and  over  it 
the  groined  arches  form  a  canopy.  This  structure 
is  in  most  excellent  taste,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  specimens  of  "  monumental  art "  I  have 
ever  seen. 


OK,  SIX    MONTHS    IN   EUROPE.  31 


On  Carlton  Hill  are  many  other  monuments. 
The  national  monument,  begun  for  those  who  fell 
at  Waterloo,  was  intended  to  be  a  literal  repro- 
duction of  the  Parthenon,  but  for  want  of  funds  its 
progress  has  been  arrested.  Only  a  few  columns 
have  been  erected,  and  now  Carlton  Hill  has  some- 
what the  appearance  of  the  ruins  of  the  Acropolis 
of  Athens.  On  this  hill  are  the  monuments  to 
Nelson,  Dugald  Stewart,  and  Playfair.  The  Uni- 
versity here  is  the  best  in  Scotland,  and  second  to 
none  in  Europe.  The  buildings  are  large  and  spa- 
cious, with  an  open  court  in  the  centre.  The  li- 
brary contains  100,000  volumes.  There  are  usually 
1200  students  in  attendance,  taught  by  32  profess* 
ors,  in  law,  medicine,  divinity,  and  the  arts.  The 
legitimate  expenses  of  a  student  here  for  board  and 
tuition,  are  about  four  hundred  dollars  per  year. 
The  sons  of  the  nobility  and  gentry,  however,  spend 
a  great  deal  more.  I  examined  this  matter  partic- 
ularly, and  found  that  our  youth  at  the  University 
of  Virginia,  or  Cambridge,  or  Princeton,  spend 
more  money  than  do  the  students  at  the  University 
of  Edinboro'.  In  the  first  place,  the  habits  of 
Americans  are  much  more  liberal — -they  make 
their  money  faster  and  easier,  and  spend  it  with  an 
open  hand.  In  this  city  the  hotels  are  well  kept, 
but  they  charge  most  extravagant  prices.  All  arc 
kept  in  the  restaurant  style.  They  charge  in  the 
bill,  for  soap  and  candles,  and  for  every  dish  or- 
dered, and  then  the  waiter's  fee  is  included  ;  notwith- 
standing all  this,  the  well-dressed,  portly-looking 


32  TKAVELS    OF   A    SUGAR   PLANTEE  ; 

white  servant  comes  up  with  cap  in  hand,  and  begs 
von  to  remember  him. 

When  I  wrote  yon  last  I  was  in  "  Bonnie  Doom" 
I  went  back  to  Glasgow ;  took  rail  and  then  down 
to  Dumbarton ;  thence  out  to  Loch  Lomond  ;  up 
this  Loch  to  Inversnaid,  where  we  staid  all  night,  at 
the  foot  of  Ben  Lomond,  whose  tall  and  rugged 
head  was  ever  under  a  cloud.  On  Sunday  morn- 
ing we  took  stage  and  passed  over  to  Loch  Katrine, 
a  distance  of  only  five  or  six  miles.  Here  we  took 
a  sail-boat  and  went  np  Loch  Katrine  to  the  Tro- 
sachs,  where  we  rested  for  the  evening.  Next 
morning,  by  stage  again  to  Calender,  some  eight 
or  ten  miles,  where  we  took  rail  and  proceeded  by 
the  "  Bridge  of  Allan "  (a  celebrated  watering- 
place)  to  Stirling,  thence  by  Bannockburn  to  Edin- 
boro'.  In  this  short  journey  how  many  names  ap- 
pear which  have  become  classic  in  the  history  of 
this  country !  Dumbarton,  Stirling  Castle,  and 
Bannockburn  !  These  are  names  that  must  em- 
blazon Scottish  history  forever.  Lochs  Lomond 
and  Katrine  are  beautiful  sheets  of  water,  inter- 
spersed with  romantic  islands.  In  the  "  Lady  of 
the  Lake,"  I  do  not  think  that  Sir  "Walter  Scott  has 
overdrawn  the  picture.  The  mountain  scenery  is 
peculiarly  soft,  for  the  very  top  of  Ben  Lomond  is 
covered  with  green  mosses,  or  lichens,  which  hide 
those  ragged  cliffs  and  rugged  rocks  that  are  seen 
in  higher  mountains.  In  going  from  Lomond  to 
Katrine,  we  passed  the  "  muster-place  of  Lanrick 
Mead,"  and  entered  upon  the  grounds  of  Roderick 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  33 

Dim.     Close  at  hand  is  Fitz  James's  rock,  on  which 
the  monarch  stood,  when 

"The  maid  alarmed,  with  hasty  oar 
Pushed  her  light  shallop  from  the  shore, 
Then  safe,  though  fluttered  and  amazed, 
She  paused,  and  on  the  stranger  gazed ; 
Not  his  the  form  or  his  the  eye 
That  youthful  maidens  wont  to  fly." 

The  island  on  which  the  Douglass  entertained 
Fitz  James,  is  shown  the  traveller.  It  is  called 
"  Ellen's  Isle,"  and  is  a  small,  rugged,  rocky  affair, 
grown  over  with  bushes,  "  with  brier  and  with 
brake."  Little  does  it  look  now,  as  if  the  Douglass 
ever  held  court  there,  but  the  "  Lady  of  the  Lake" 
says  so,  and  we  are  bound  to  believe  her.  The 
Trosachs  is  the  place  where  the  royal  hunter  lost 
the  stag;.     It  was  here  that  this 


'CD' 


"Wily  quarry  shunned  the  shock, 
And  turned  him  from  the  opposing  rock  ; 
Then  dashing  down  a  darksome  glen, 
Soon  lost  to  hound  and  hunter's  ken, 
In  the  deep  Trosachs'  wildest  nook 
His  solitary  refuge  took." 

To  the  lover  of  poetry  and  of  song — to  one  who 
has  read  with  interest  the  "  Lady  of  the  Lake," 
which,  taken  all  together,  is  the  most  chaste  and 
elegant  poem  ever  written,  the  mountain  scenery 
of  Scotland  is  perfectly  enchanting.  The  lovely 
Loch  Katrine  is  the  most  beautiful  sheet  of  water  I 
ever  saw.     In  order  to  view  this  lake  in  its  most 


34        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER 


poetic  aspect,  I  took  the  path,  that  had  been  taken 
by  Fitz  James,  and  gained  a  far  projecting  preci- 
pice. It  was  about  the  time  for  the  setting  sun, 
and  Loch  Katrine  lay  before  me 

"One  burnished  sheet  of  living  gold." 

I  lingered  till  a  late  hour  of  the  night,  and  as  I 
took  my  solitary  way  back  to  the  Trosachs  Hotel, 
my  brain  was  filled  with  a  thousand  thick-coming 
fancies.  As  I  passed  along,  methought  I  met  the 
henchman  Malise  "  speeding  on  his  warlike  mis- 
sion," with  burning  brand.  On  the  roadside  lay 
"  Red  Murdock  stiff  and  stark  ;  "  farther  on  I  heard 
the  shrill  whistle  of  Roderick  Dim,  and 

"  Instant  from  heath  and  copse  arose 
Bonnets  and  spears  and  bended  bows." 

When  the  "Waverly  Novels  were  written,  Loch 
Katrine  and  its  surroundings  must  have  been  ex- 
ceedingly wild  and  romantic — much  more  so  than 
at  present,  for  as  civilization  advances,  railroads 
are  built,  huge  hotels  are  erected,  and  the  mob,  the 
wrorld  and  his  wife,  and  everybody  else,  travel  and 
desecrate  those  sacred  spots  that  should  be  reserved 
for  the  true  lovers  of  nature.  The  people  of  Glas- 
gow have  tapped  this  beautiful  Loch  Katrine,  and 
are  now  taking  its  pure  and  delicious  waters  a  dis- 
tance of  thirty-five  or  forty  miles,  to  quench  the 
thirst  of  the  red-headed,  gin-drinking,  overworked 
operatives  of  that  great  manufacturing  city.  Cal- 
ender is  quite  a  pretty  place,   and  reminds  you 


Oil,  SIX   MONTHS    IN    EUROPE.  35 

very  much  of  the  villages  in  the  valley  of  Virgin- 
ia. Here  the  rails  begin,  and  the  face  of  the  coun- 
try gets  smooth  and  well-cultivated,  for  in  the 
mountains  around  Loch  Lomond  and  Loch  Katrine 
there  is  no  such  thing  as  a  field,  or  even  a  habi- 
tation. It  is  all  wild  mountains,  covered  with 
heather,  supporting  only  a  few  black-faced  sheep. 
I  regret  that  I  have  not  time  to  tell  you  of  the  cot- 
tage in  which  the  MacGregor  was  born.  It  is  close 
to  the  roadside,  and  not  far  from  Inversnaid.  I 
should  also  wish  to  say  something  of  "  Stirling 
Castle."  When  I  beheld  the  towers  of  this  ancient 
fortress,  oh,  what  mournful  recollections  rushed 
upon  my  mind  !     Here  are  still  kept 

"  The  wheel  and  axe,  and  headsman's  sword, 
And  many  an  hideous  engine  grim 
For  wrenching  joint  and  crushing  limb." 

It  was  in  this  castle,  "through  grated  arch  and 
passage  dread,"  that  old  Allan-bane  was  led,  when 
he  visited  the  sick  couch  of  Clan  Alpine's  chief, 
and  sang  that  mournful  dirge  which  caused  the 
mighty  heart  of  Roderick  Dim  to  break.  The  town 
of  Stirling  is  quite  a  place.  It  has  a  population  of 
about  14,000  inhabitants,  and  is  the  favorite  resi- 
dence of  many  of  the  most  noble  and  ancient  fami- 
lies of  Scotland.  It  is  situated  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  Forth,  and  is  30  miles  by  rail  from  Edin- 
boro'.  A  few  miles  from  Stirling,  immediately  on 
the  road,  is  the  village  of  Bannockburn,  situated 
pleasantly  on  the  Bannock,  a  small  stream  flowing 


36        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

into  the  Frith.  Here  it  was  that  Bruce,  with  his 
gallant  Scots,  met  the  English  under  Edward  II., 
on  the  24th  June,  1314.  It  derives  its  name  from 
the  oaten  cakes  or  bannocks  made  in  the  mills  on 
its  banks.  The  English  were  defeated  with  great 
slaughter,  for  there  was  no  retreat,  but  a  blind 
rout  and  helpless  flight.  Burns  has  immortalized 
this  battle  by  his  celebrated  national  song,  and 
here  stands  a  noble  monument  erected  to  Scotland's 
greatest  man,  the  "  Bruce  of  Bannockburn."  This 
evening  I  visited  the  Salisbury  Crags,  and  the  top 
of  Arthur's  Seat.  Here  is  a  charming  prospect  in 
view.  On  the  right  sleeps  the  calm  and  gentle 
Frith  of  Forth.  On  the  left  stretch  out  as  far  as 
the  eye  can  reach  the  Pentland  Hills ;  immediately 
in  front  is  the  beautiful  city  of  Edinboro',  with  its 
parks,  its  towers  and  steeples.  There,  in  that  old 
rickety  house,  lived  Jennie  Deans,  the  amiable,  the 
kind,  the  pious  Jennie.  There  is  the  "  Grass 
Market,"  that  dark  and  bloody  ground,  where  many 
a  Presbyterian  and  Covenanter  received  the  mar- 
tyr's crown.  Dunedin,  adieu !  Thy  shame  and 
thy  glory  stand  recorded  on  the  pages  of  never- 
dying  history. 

Yours,  truly, 

H.  W.  A. 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN    EUROPE.  37 


LETTER     NO.  VI. 

Trafalgar  Hotel,  London,  England, 
Axujust  6,  1859. 
Editors  Advocate  : 

I  arrived  in  tins  "  great  Babel "  some  four  or 
live  days  since,  and  have  put  up  at  the  Trafalgar 
Hotel,  near  the  monument  and  close  to  the  Spring 
Gardens.  I  find  my  hotel  a  very  quiet  and  agree- 
able place.  My  travelling  companion,  Dr.  Smith,  is 
still  in  the  north  of  Scotland,  among  the  "  kilts  and 
tartans,"  for  which  he  seems  to  have  taken  quite  a 
fancy.  Shelby  and  Johnson  are,  however,  with  me, 
two  glorious  Mississippians.  "We  occasionally  get 
on  a  "  burst,"  and  astonish  these  phlegmatic  Eng- 
lishmen very  much  indeed.  On  our  arrival  here, 
after  registering  our  names,  we  proceeded  to  take  a 
glass  of  ale,  and  then  went — to  take  another  glass 
of  ale,  when  Shelby  told  the  following  story : 
"  Once  upon  a  time,  the  Governor  of  South  Caro- 
lina met  the  Governor  of  North  Carolina,  and  says 
the  Governor  of  South  Carolina  to  the  Governor 
of  North   Carolina,  '  Governor,  it  is  a  d — d  long 


38         TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER 


time  between  drinks  ; '  whereupon  the  Governor 
of  North  Carolina  said  to  the  Governor  of  South 
Carolina,  '  Governor,  suppose  we  do  take  a  drink ! ' 
on  which  Johnson  proposed  that  we  should  all  take 
a  drink.  Now  be  it  remembered  we  had  just  ar- 
rived from  Edinboro'.  This  was  our  first  night  in 
London,  and  we  wanted  to  see  the  town;  so  after 
taking  a  turn  up  the  Hay  Market  for  a  short  dis- 
tance, we  called  a  carriage,  and  told  the  Britisher 
to  drive  us  to  the  "  Comorn  Gardens."  In  due 
course  of  time  we  arrived,  and  found  them  crowded 
with  beauty  and  fashion,  with  old  age  and  ugliness ; 
with  very  lean  people  and  very  fat  people.  These 
gardens  are  gotten  up  on  a  most  magnificent  scale, 
after  the  Parisian  style.  They  cover  several  acres 
of  ground,  and  contain  dancing  saloons,  fairy  cot- 
tages, artificial  grottos,  and  many  other  places  to 
amuse  the  fancy  and  "  delight  the  heels "  of  the 
seekers  of  pleasure.  I  think  there  must  have  been, 
at  the  lowest  calculation,  10,000  persons  at  these 
gardens.  The  music  is  very  fine,  and  the  gas-lights 
most  artistically  and  beautifully  arranged.  The 
"  Vaux  Hall "  Gardens  in  former  days  were  all  the 
rage,  and  their  brilliancy  often  astonished  "  the 
country  bumpkins "  who  came  up  to  London. 
These  have  passed  away,  and  now  the  "  Comorn  " 
have  opened  with  transcendent  splendor.  Of  course 
the  elite  of  the  city  seldom  visit  this  place ;  it 
seems  to  be  mostly  frequented  by  the  fast  young 
men  and  women  of  London,  who  come  here  to 
dance  to  delicious  music,  and  pass  an  hour  or  two 


OK,  SIX    MONTHS    IN    EUROPE.  39 


in  the  "little  frivolities"  of  life.  Admission  one 
shilling — children  half  price — no  negroes  here. 
By  the  by,  you  very  seldom  see  a  negro  in  Great 
Britain,  except  at  Liverpool,  where  there  are  a  good 
many  sailors.  When  Daniel  Webster  arrived  in 
London,  he  said  to  his  cab-driver,  "  Take  me  to  the 
Tower."  Now  I  differed  from  the  great  Daniel, 
for  the  morning  after  I  arrived  I  told  my  Jehu  to 
drive  me  to  the  House  of  Lords.  I  wanted  to  see 
the  acting,  living,  great  men  of  the  world  ;  the 
men  who  governed.  Parliament,  and  through  Par- 
liament the  world.  A  fig  for  your  Tower  and  its 
ancient  renown  and  worm-eaten  glory  !  On  en- 
tering the  House  of  Lords,  I  found  the  Chief  Jus- 
tice on  the  woolsack,  with  huge  wig  and  black 
gown.  On  his  right  sat  Henry  Lord  Brougham ; 
on  his  left  another  distinguished  Lord.  They  were 
trying  an  appeal  case,  and  the  counsel  addressing 
them  I  thought  was  particularly  heavy  and  dry. 
Brougham  looks  hearty  and  hale,  although  SO  years 
old.  He  resembles  in  a  remarkable  degree,  John 
Bell  of  Tennessee,  and  Judge  Moore  of  St.  Martin, 
Louisiana.  I  asked  a  policeman,  a  stout,  well- 
dressed  beef- eater,  to  point  out  to  me  Lord  Brough- 
am. His  reply  was,  "  Have  you  never  seen  his 
portraits  ?  He  is  exactly  like  his  portraits."  Said 
I,  "  No  sir,  I  never  saw  his  portraits."  "  Great 
God,"  said  the  policeman,  "  where  have  you  been 
all  your  life  ?  "  To  which  I  modestly  replied,  that 
I  had  been  all  my  life  in  the  United  States,  where 
wo   considered  Lord  Brougham   a  small   concern, 

\ 


40        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER; 

and  didn't  care  a  d — n  for  him  or  his  portraits. 
On  this  we  played  quits ;  the  "  man  of  authority  " 
gazing  at  me  as  if  I  were  a  savage  from  the  wild 
woods  of  North  America.  The  chamber  of  the 
House  of  Lords  is  elegantly  fitted  up  with  all  the 
luxury  of  modern  art.  Like  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, the  Lords  sit  on  benches  and  not  in  chairs. 
The  woolsack  is  a  crimson-covered  sack,  or  more 
like  a  square  bed,  on  which  the  Lord  Chancellor 
sits.  The  position  must  be  very  uncomfortable,  for 
there  is  no  support  for  the  back.  They  should 
therefore  select  for  this  honored  post  the  man  who 
has  the  strongest  "backbone.  The  chamber  is  badly 
arranged  ;  the  spectators'  gallery  very  small,  and 
the  whole  affair  seemingly  much  contracted.  The 
trappings  of  royalty  are  fully  carried  out  here. 
All  the  officers,  sergeants-at-arms,  and  door-keepers 
are  in  full  uniform,  with  long  swords  at  their  sides. 
While  in  London  I  visited  the  House  of  Lords  fre- 
quently, and  witnessed  the  debates.  I  was  anxious 
to  hear  Lord  Macaulay,  but  he  was  in  very  bad 
health.  The  Duke  of  Argyle,  a  small,  red-headed 
man,  about  40  years  of  age,  seemed  to  be  the  most 
active  business  man  in  the  Llouse.  He  married 
the  daughter  of  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland,  and  is 
now  the  proprietor  of  immense  estates.  In  this 
aristocratic  assembly  there  are  now  but  few  great 
statesmen  or  orators.  Brougham  is  failing  fast — is 
now  almost  in  his  dotage,  and  his  place  cannot  be 
well  supplied.  Macaulay  will  soon  die,  for  he  has 
softening  of  the  brain.     Argyle  is  a  man  of  educa- 

/ 


OR,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  41 

tion,  but  lacks  genius.  The  Lords  behave  them- 
selves much  better  than  the  Commons,  and  only 
about  one-half  of  them  wear  their  hats  during  the 
sittings.  Most  of  them  are  very  old  men,  and  a 
great  majority  bald-headed.  They  seem  to  doze 
away  their  time  upon  the  benches,  and  occasionally 
wake  up  with  the  cry  of  "  hear,  hear."  I  also  vis- 
ited the  House  of  Commons  frequently.  It  meets 
only  at  night,  and  often  sits  till  daybreak.  In 
going  into  the  House  of  Commons  you  pass  into  an 
anteroom  filled  with  statuary.  The  first  is  Fox, 
with  his  huge  fist  doubled  up  in  a  threatening  atti- 
tude ;  opposite  is  Pitt,  his  great  and  successful 
rival.  Next  is  the  great  Lord  Chatham  ;  then 
Burke,  and  TValpole,  and  many  others  who  have 
made  their  mark  in  the  House  of  Commons.  The 
arrangements  for  admission  to  strangers  are  exceed- 
ingly unpleasant  and  tiresome.  The  strangers'  gal- 
lery holds  only  about  100  persons.  It  is  generally 
filled.  You  consequently  take  your  seat  in  the 
anteroom,  and  look  at  the  cold  marble  statues,  till 
your  time  comes,  which  may  not  be  till  midnight, 
or  not  at  all.  I  found  that  a  half-crown  invariably 
made  all  right,  and  I  was  passed  through  every 
evening  to  a  front  seat.  I  tell  you  there  is  great 
virtue  in  a  half-crown  ;  it  is  about  the  size  of  our 
half-dollar,  and  looks  as  big  to  a  British  beef-eater 
as  one  of  our  saw-mill  timber  wheels.  Having  ob- 
tained ready  admission  to  the  House  of  Commons, 
I  attended  nearly  every  evening  while  I  was  in 
London.     There  is  a  creat  deal  of  talent  in  the 


42        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

House.  The  Premier,  Lord  Palmerston,  is  a  man 
of  high  order  of  intellect,  while  Lord  John  Russell 
is  every  inch  a  statesman.  The  Chancellor  of  the 
Exchequer,  Mr.  Gladstone,  has  no  equal  in  Great 
Britain  for  clear  and  concise  logic,  for  pure  and 
elegant  rhetoric.  These  are  all  what  is  called 
"  Administration  men."  On  the  opposite  or  con- 
servative side  are  D'Israeli  and  Whiteside,  Roe- 
buck and  John  Bright,  all  men  of  the  highest  or- 
der of  talent,  who  have  studied  politics  as  a  pro- 
fession, and  are  well  learned  in  all  the  branches  of 
political  economy.  I  do  not  like  the  style  of  Eng- 
lish speaking  as  well  as  our  own.  Lord  John  gets 
up,  for  instance,  and  commences  his  speech,  per- 
fectly self-possessed,  it  is  true,  but  he  enunciates 
his  words  exceedingly  slow,  and  seems  to  hem  and 
haw  in  selecting  them.  He  never  permits  himself 
to  be  excited  or  aroused.  On  one  occasion,  while 
attending  the  debates,  I  heard  Mr.  Maguire,  the 
member  for  the  University  of  Dublin,  pitch  into 
Lord  John  most  terribly.  He  denounced  him  right 
and  left,  and  told  him  that  his  government  would 
go  down  to  posterity  with  dishonor  and  disgrace, 
and  that  his  name  would  be  the  by-word  and  con- 
tempt of  future  ages,  because  he,  the  said  Lord 
John,  would  not  use  the  power  of  the  British  arms 
against  Bologna,  in  order  to  make  the  Italians  sub- 
mit to  the  Pope.  Lord  John  replied  in  his  cool 
and  temperate  manner,  and  completely  demolished 
the  Irishman.  The  Government  side  raised  such  a 
cry  of  "  hear,  hear,  hear,"  that  it  was  really  ap- 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS    IN    EJJBOPE.  43 

pulling  to  their  adversaries.  By  the  way,  this  Mr. 
Magtiire  is  a  verv  learned  man  and  line  scholar. 
His  style  of  speaking,  his  manner,  his  very  appear- 
ance, remind  you  forcibly  of  our  distinguished  fel- 
low-citizen, the  Hon.  Michael  Ryan,  of  Rapides,  and 
in  this  connection  I  would  remark  that  Lord  John 
would  be  taken  very  readily  for  an  elder  brother 
of  the  lion.  Duncan  F.  Ivenner,  of  Ascension. 
They  are  as  much  alike  as  two  black-eyed  peas  or 
two  bald-headed  men  possibly  can  be.  DTsraeli 
is  a  singular-looking  man.  His  Jewish  features 
and  long  gray  locks  attract  your  attention  imme- 
diately. His  voice  is  good  and  clear,  and  his  de- 
livery very  graceful.  He  stands  at  the  head  of  the 
Opposition  in  the  House.  John  Bright  is  a  large, 
line-looking,  stout  man,  resembling  somewhat 
Toombs,  of  Georgia,  in  his  personal  appearance,  and 
his  earnest  and  impassioned  style  of  speaking. 
The  Premier,  Lord  Palmerston,  is  about  six  feet 
one  or  two  inches  high ;  is  a  line  specimen  of  an 
old  English  gentleman  ;  dresses  in  gay  and  fancy 
colors,  and  is  the  Roger  de  Coverley  of  the  House. 
He  is  almost  a  century  old,  but  still  is  active  in 
mind  and  body,  and  as  a  member  of  Parliament 
can  out-sit  any  of  the  young  members  now.  His 
style  of  speaking  is  plain,  and  to  the  point.  He 
deals  in  no  poetry,  no  figures  of  speech,  but  goes 
right  up  and  grapples  with  his  subject  in  a  bold 
and  straightforward  manner,  without  stopping  to 
pick  up  the  flowers  of  rhetoric.  In  the  House  of 
Commons  the  members  all  sit  with  their  hats  on. 


4:4:  TKAVELS    OF   A    ..c'GAK   PLANTER  ; 

They  seem  to  take  a  pride  in  this,  for  I  noticed  that 
after  finishing  their  speeches,  they,  on  resuming 
their  seats,  immediately  put  on  their  hats.  I 
should  think  that  in  a  warm  room,  in  hot  weather, 
it  would  be  much  more  comfortable  to  sit  with  hats 
off,  but  there  is  no  accounting  for  tastes.  A  Brit- 
isher prefers  «  a  Welsh  rare-bit "  to  the  finest  wild 
turkey  stuffed  with  truffles  !  I  noticed  that  the 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Commons  seldom,  if  ever, 
takes  what  we  call  the  "  ayes  and  noes."  When 
a  question  is  to  be  decided,  he  says  (holding  the 
paper  in  his  hand)  "  all  who  are  in  favor  of  the 
passage  of  this  bill  will  go  to  the  right ;  all  who 
are  opposed  to  it  will  go  to  the  left."  They  sepa- 
rate immediately  and  retire  into  adjoining  rooms, 
where  tellers  count  the  vote  and  report  to  the  as- 
sembled House. 

The  House  of  Commons  consists  of  640  mem- 
bers. It  is  very  seldom  that  all  are  present.  But 
few  men  do  all  the  work.  Every  thing  is  done  in 
committee.  The  bills  are  all  prepared  there,  and 
reported  on  and  passed,  often  without  debate.  The 
members  of  Parliament  receive  no  pay,  conse- 
quently none  but  the  wealthy,  or  those  who  have 
wealthy  friends,  can  enter  public  life.  The  can- 
vassing for  a  seat  in  Parliament  costs  frequently 
immense  sums.  Bribery  and  corruption  then  be- 
comes common,  and  so  offensive  is  it  now  in  the 
nostrils  of  the  nation,  that  committees  are  now  sit- 
ting on  charges  of  this  nature  against  several  mem- 
bers of  the  House.     Alreadv  one  of  them  has  been 


OK 


SIX    MONTHS    IN    EUKOl'E.  45 


unseated,  with  a  fair  prospect  of  ousting  several 
other  honorable~members.  Our  Congress  at  Wash- 
ington may  be  exceedingly  disorderly  at  times,  but 
I  think  it  can  compare  very  favorably  with  the 
House  of  Commons  of  Great  Britain.  They  may 
not  chew  tobacco  and  spit  on  the  floors  as  we  do, 
but  they  cock  up  their  feet,  with  their  hats  over 
their  eyes,  and  are  continually  crying  out  "  hear, 
hear,  hear,  hear,"  on  the  most  frivolous  occasions. 

Westminster  Abbey  is  just  opposite  to  the  House 
of  Lords,  and  is  entered  by  the  "Poets'  Corner." 
This  Abbey  is  an  enormous  old  cathedral,  built  at 
a  very  early  day,  when  its  peculiar  Gothic  architec- 
ture was  much  used,  and  carried  to  great  perfec- 
tion. This  old'  church  has  become  the  burial- 
ground  of  England's  "  noblest  dead,"  for  many 
ages.  It  has  nine  chapels,  dedicated  each  to  a  pa- 
tron saint.  The  "Poets'  Corner"  is  by  far  the 
most  interesting  part  of  the  immense  structure,  for 
at  every  step  you  find,  the  ashes  of  some  great  poet 
who  has  left  behind,  him  works  more  durable  than 
dull  cold  marble.  In  passing  along,  the  first  strik- 
ing monument  is  that  of  Joseph  Addison,  by 
Westmacott,  with  this  inscription  :  "  Whoever  thou 
art,  venerate  the  memory  of  Joseph  Addison." 

Next,  over  the  door  of  the  chapel  of  St.  Blaize, 
is  the  monument  of  Oliver  Goldsmith,  M.  D.,  by 
N ollekcns.  The  inscription  is,  "  He  was  master  of 
the  softer  passions,  and  could  at  pleasure  command 
tears  or  provoke  laughter  ;  but  in  every  thing  that 
lie  said  or  did,  good-nature  was  predominant." 


40        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER* 

On  the  left  is  Gay's  monument,  erected  by  the 
Duke  and  Duchess  of  Queensbury.  The  epitaph 
is  by  himself — 

"  Life  is  a  jest,  and  all  things  show  it ; 
I  thought  so  once,  but  now  I  know  it." 

Next  are  Rowe  and  Thomson  author  of  The 
Seasons.  Standing  next  to  Thomson's  is  the  mon- 
ument to  "William  Shakspeare.  It  is  of  good  de- 
sign and  very  elegantly  finished.  The  great  bard 
is  represented  as  seated  in  a  quiet  and  thoughtful 
manner,  with  a  scroll  in  his  hand,  on  which  is 
written — 

"  The  cloud-capped  towers — the  gorgeous  palaces- 
The  solemn  temples — the  great  globe  itself — 
Yea,  all  which  it  inherits,  shall  dissolve, 
And  like  the  baseless  fabric  of  a  vision, 
Leave  not  a  wreck  behind." 

These  are  only  a  few  of  the  many  splendid 
monuments  erected  to  England's  greatest  poets. 
Here  are  Campbell  and  Southey  ;  Matthew  Prior 
and  Samuel  Butler;  Spenser  and  rare  Ben  Jon- 
son  ;  Chaucer  and  Cowley,  and  the  ever  great  and 
glorious  Milton.  Under  Milton  is  an  elegant  mon- 
ument, erected  to  the  memory  of  Gray,  with  this 
inscription : 

"  No  more  the  Grecian  muse  unrivalled  reigns  ; 
To  Britain  let  the  nations  homage  pay  : 
She  felt  a  nation's  fire  in  Milton's  strains, 
A  Pindar's  rapture  in  the  lyre  of  Gray." 


OK,  SIX    MONTHS   IN    EUROPE.  47 

The  chapel  of  Henry  TIL  is  the  most  gorgeous. 
It  is  filled  with  ancient  tombs  of  rare  workman- 
ship. Its  gates  are  of  bronze,  and  the  entire  ceil- 
ing of  curiously  carved  stone.  Here  are  the  re- 
mains of  the  haughty  Elizabeth,  by  the  side  of  her 
victim,  the  Queen  of  Scots. 

In  passing  through  the  long  aisles  and  gloomy 
chapels  of  "  this  cemetery  of  England's  greatest 
dead,"  I  could  find  no  monuments  to  Horatio  kel- 
son or  John  Bunyan.  Their  mortal  remains  do  not 
lie  here.  Although  Nelson's  great  battle-cry  was 
"  Victory  or  Westminster  Abbey,"  he  was  denied 
a  burial  here.  As  to  Bunyan,  the  poor  despised  son 
of  a  tinker,  his  grave  is  in  some  suburban  church- 
yard, nobody  knows  where.  It  is  to  England's 
shame  that  these  two  men,  who  have  shed  more 
glory  on  her  arms  and  religion,  than  any  others  of 
her  long  list  of  worthies,  should  have  been  denied 
a  burial  in  Westminster  Abbey.  They  were  not 
unlike  in  their  lives.  Kelson  was  a  brave  sailor, 
a  consummate  admiral.  He  saved  England  in  her 
greatest  hour  of  danger,  for  he  concpiered  Napo- 
leon at  the  battle  of  the  Nile,  and  crushed  him  at 
Trafalgar.  Bunyan,  too,  was  a  soldier.  He  was 
at  the  siege  of  Leicester,  in  the  Parliament  army. 
Professing  religion,  he  joined  the  Baptist  church, 
and  commenced  preaching  the  Gospel.  He  was 
persecuted  as  a  dissenter.  He  was  tried,  convicted, 
and  i  in  prisoned  for  twelve  long  years.  During  this 
whole  time  lie  "  kept  the  faith,"  and  here  it  was 
he  wrote   that  work,  which  is  now  in   every  p:ilace 


48        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

and  in  every  cottage  in  Christendom.  John  Bun- 
yan  believed  in  the  efficacy  of  prayer.  So  did 
Lord  Nelson.  In  all  his  engagements,  before  going 
into  battle,  lie  knelt  upon  the  quarter-deck  of  his 
ship,  and  prayed  that  God  would  give  him  the  vic- 
tory. The  influence  of  these  two  men  is  more  felt 
to-day,  than  any  others  who  have  lived  or  died  on 
British  soil.  How  often  have  I  seen  the  widowed 
mother  take  her  little  orphans  on  her  knees,  and 
with  the  Pilgrim's  Progress  in  her  hand,  tell  them 
the  interesting  storv  of  Christian— his  trials  and  his 
troubles,  and  how  at  last  he  reached  the  New  Je- 
rusalem. This  beautiful  allegory  affects  the  tender 
minds  of  children  in  an  astonishing  manner.  It 
can  never  be  eradicated.  Even  in  after  years, 
when  far  away  from  parents  and  from  home,  these 
early  lessons,  taught  by  a  fond  mother,  come  gush- 
ing up,  and  we  involuntarily  exclaim,  "  God  bless 
John  Bunyan.  He  was  a  good  old  man."  His 
Pilgrim's  Progress  has  softened  the  heart  of  many 
a  wayward  boy,  and  turned  his  footsteps  from  the 
paths  of  vice  to  seek  the  joys  of  Heaven  at  last. 
Adieu.     I  shall  write  you  again  from  this  city. 

Yours;  truly, 

H.  W.  A. 


OR,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  49 


LETTER     NO.  VII. 

Trafalgar  Hotel,  London,  England, 
August  9,  1859. 

Editors  Advocate  : 

• 

I  leave  to-morrow  for  Paris,  and  have  concluded 
to  write  you  again  from  this  place.  This  is  a 
monster  city.  Its  population,  strange  to  say,  is 
rapidly  increasing,  and  now  numbers  three  mil- 
lions of  inhabitants  !  The  largest  city  in  the 
world.  No  man  can  form  any  idea  of  a  crowded 
city  until  he  sees  London.  I  have  stood  on  Broad- 
way, New  York,  and  thought  that  it  was  utterly 
impossible  to  get  together  more  people  than  gener- 
ally congregate  on  that  great  thoroughfare  ;  but 
take  your  position  on  the  Strand  in  London  for  an 
hour,  and  you  will  swear  that  the  whole  world  had 
concluded,  in  "  English  parlance,"  to  come  up  to 
town. 

My  hotel  on  Trafalgar  Square,  is  in  a  very  cen- 
tral portion  of  London.  It  is  only  a  few  squares 
from  the  Thames,  and  a  short  walk  from  the  Par- 
3 


50        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

liament  House.  The  great  artery  or  thoroughfare 
of  London  is  the  Strand.  Everybody  from  "  up 
town  ';  has  to  go  down  this  street,  to  cross  London 
Bridge,  to  go  to  the  Bank  of  England,  or  to  the 
Post  Office.  You  jump  into  an  omnibus  to  go  to 
the  bank  ;  you  pass  through  the  Strand,  then  Tem- 
ple Bar,  then  along  Fleet  Street,  Ludgate  Hill,  St. 
Paul's,  Cheapside,  Cornhill,  and  Leadenhall  Street, 
all  one  continued  street,  to  Threadneedle  Street, 
on  which  is  the  mammoth  Bank  of  England. 
This  bank  is  a  low,  flat,  insulated  building,  cover- 
ing four  acres  of  ground.  It  has  a  governor  and 
deputy-governor,  and  a  board  of  twenty-four  direc- 
tors. It  commenced  business  on  the  1st  of  Janu- 
ary, 1695.  From  time  to  time  the  capital  has  been 
increased,  until  now  it  is  $60,000,000.  "While  in 
the  bank  they  showed  me  a  bill  for  £1,000,000  ster- 
ling !  Money  is  loaned  here  at  two-and-a-half  per 
cent,  per  annum. 

One  of  the  greatest  curiosities,  or  rather  won- 
ders of  London,  is  the  "  Crystal  Palace  "  at  Syden- 
ham. This  is  the  celebrated  palace  used  in  Lon- 
don during  the  "World's  Fair.  After  the  fair,  it 
was  pulled  down,  and  removed  to  the  village  of 
Sydenham,  about  eight  miles  out  of  town,  and  put 
up  again,  but  with  increased  dimensions,  and  far 
greater  splendor.  It  is  astonishing  to  see  here 
what  the  art  and  ingenuity  of  man  can  do.  The 
palace  is  an  enormous  structure,  flanked  with  tow- 
ers 300  feet  high,  on  the  top  of  which  are  huge 
cisterns.     These  cisterns  are  kept  full  of  water  by 


OIJ,  SIX    MONTHS    IN   EUROPE.  51 

force  pumps,  and  supply  the  water-works  attached 
to  the  grounds.     The  numerous  fountains  scattered 
through  the  immense  grounds,  are  most  tastefully- 
arranged.     They  throw  up  solid  columns  of  water 
280  feet   high !      There   is   nothing  like  it  in  the 
wide  world.     This  Crystal  Palace  is  about  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile  long,  and  is  made  of  glass  and  iron. 
It  is  filled   with   curiosities  of  every  conceivable 
kind.     One  portion  of  it  is  entirely  filled  with  ex- 
otic plants,  all  bearing  fruit.     Here  is  the  clove 
aud  the  nutmeg,  and  the  cinnamon  tree.     The  cof- 
fee and  the  tea  plants  are  growing  side  by  side,  in 
close  familiarity  with  the  broad-leaved  sugar-cane. 
Here  are  the  banana  and  the  cocoanut ;  the  tama- 
rind and  the  banyan  ;  the  tall  and  stately  palm  and 
humble  olive.     In  fact,  so  great  is  the  display  of  ex- 
otics here,  and  so  dense  the  thicket,  that  you  fancy 
yourself  in  one  of  the  jungles  of  Bengal,  and  al- 
most hear  the  screams  of  the  bright-plumed  parrots, 
and  the  growl  of  the  royal  tiger.     In  this  palace 
there  is  an  immense  theatre  or  concert-hall,  largo 
enough  to  accommodate  10,000  persons.      Here  I 
heard  the  charming  little  Piccolomini.     I  noticed 
among  the  other  curiosities  here,  a  California  pine 
tree  about  30  feet  in  diameter!      The   bark  had 
been  cut  in  sections  and  stripped  from  its  trunk. 
It  was  set  up  again  as  it  grew  in  the  forest,  to  the 
height  of  100  fefit.     The  interior  of  this  huge  tree 
was  occupied  as  a  sitting-room. 

There  are  also  in  the  palace  large  refreshment 
rooms — restaurants,    cake    and    beer    stands,    &c, 


52        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER 


&c. ;  for  be  it  remembered,  wherever  an  English- 
man goes,  he  must  have  something  to  eat  and 
drink.  I  verily  believe,  unless  he  is  purified  on 
earth,  that  when  he  gets  to  heaven,  and  finds  there 
no  "  roast-beef,  or  potatoes,  or  porter  and  ale,"  that 
lie  will  be  a  miserable  man  through  all  eternity. 
The  surroundings  of  the  Crystal  Palace  are  in  the 
same  grand  style  of  magnificence.  The  grounds 
contain  some  four  or  five  hundred  acres  of  land, 
and  are  laid  off  in  elegant  walks,  artificial  lakes 
and  grottos.  In  these  lakes  I  noticed  huge  ante- 
diluvian animals,  bujlt  of  brick  and  mortar,  and 
made  in  the  most  accurate  and  artistic  style,  not 
so  much  for  show,  as  for  instruction  to  the  million. 
From  the  Crystal  Palace  I  went  on  to  "  Hamp- 
ton Court,"  some  ten  miles  farther.  This  is  the 
residence  of  the  Duchess  of  Kent,  and  i^  consid- 
ered the  aristocratic  poor-house  of  England,  for 
here  "  our  poor  relations "  are  kept  in  style  and 
fed  in  state.  This  is  an  immense  old  palace,  with 
beautiful  grounds  attached,  shaded  with  huge  lime 
trees.  The  palace  was  built  by  Cardinal  Wolsey, 
when  he  was  in  his  "  pride  of  power,"  and  has 
been  for  many  centuries  the  favorite  retreat  of  the 
sovereigns  of  Great  Britain.  The  proud  and 
haughty  cardinal  lived  here  in  great  state.  Here 
it  was  he  entertained  his  royal  master,  Henry 
VIII.,  in  such  magnificent  style ;  and  here  it  was 
that  he  might  have  lived  to  the  end,  but  "  avarice 
and  ambition  "  pulled  him  down,  and  made  him 
feel  "  how  wretched  is  that  poor  man,  that  hangs 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS    IN   EUROPE.  53 


on  princes'  favors."  I  have  often  felt  for  poor  old 
Wolsey.  He  was  a  "  scholar,  and  a  ripe  and  good 
one."  To  them  that  loved  him  not,  he  was  "  lofty 
and  sour,"  but  to  those  that  sought  him  he  was 
"  sweet  as  summer."  He  did  not,  it  is  true,  "serve 
his  God  with  half  the  zeal  he  served  his  king,"  but 
he  was  liberal  to  a  fault,  and  in  bestowing,  he  was 
most  princely.  Bluff  Harry  certainly  treated  him 
badly,  and  should  not  have  left  him, 

"  Weary  and  old  with  service,  to  the  mercy 
Of  a  rude  stream." 

It  was  here  in  Hampton  Court  that  Edward  VI. 
was  born,  his  mother  Jane  Seymour  surviving  his 
birth  only  a  few  days.  This  Jane  Seymour  is  the 
same  lady  who  married  Henry  VIII.  the  day  after 
Queen  Anne  Boleyn  had  her  head  cut  off.  The 
royal  Blue-Beard  having  disposed  of  five  wives, 
resolved  to  take  the  sixth,  and  on  the  12th  of  July, 
1513,  he  married  the  Lady  Catharine  Parr,  at 
Hampton  Court.  It  was  here  that  Queen  Mary 
(bloody  Mary)  and  her  husband,  Philip  of  Spain, 
passed  their  honeymoon  in  gloomy  retirement. 
The  immense  palace  has  been  added  to,  by  nearly 
every  monarch,  and  now  covers  a  large  space.  Sir 
Christopher  "Wren  built  the  gallery  for  the  cartoons 
of  Raphael.  These  are  painted  on  sheets  of  thick 
paper,  and  are  very  properly  esteemed  the  pride 
of  the  "  Galleries  of  the  Court."  They  represent 
eight  scenes  from  the  New  Testament — the  death 
of  Ananias,  Peter  and  John  at  the  Beautiful  Gate, 


54        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  J 

the  Miraculous  Draught  of  Fishes,  Paul  and  Barna- 
bas at  Lystra,  &c,  &c.  There  are  many  other  fine 
paintings  in  the  various  galleries  here,  by  Holbein 
and  Van  Dyck,  and  Lely  and  Kneller,  and  a  host 
of  others.  The  grounds  attached  to  this  palace  are 
on  a  large  scale  ;  they  are  kept  in  most  excellent 
order.  In  one  of  the  gardens  I  noticed  an  im- 
mense grape-vine,  120  feet  long  and  3  feet  in  cir- 
cumference. This  is  said  to  be  the  largest  grape- 
vine in  the  world.  It  is  the  black  Hamburg  grape, 
and  generally  bears  2,500  bunches,  of  a  good  season. 

From  Hampton  Court  I  went  over  to  Rich- 
mond, a  few  miles,  and  spent  an  hour  in  that  quiet 
village,  visiting,  among  other  places,  Twickenham, 
once  the  residence  of  Pope.  It  is  a  pretty  place, 
immediately  on  the  banks  of  the  Thames,  and  pre- 
sents, even  now,  with  all  its  changes,  a  very  poetic 
appearance.  Here  the  Thames  becomes  quite 
small,  and  this  is  the  head  of  steamboat  naviga- 
tion. 

Jumping  on  board  the  little  steamer,  I  was  in  a 
few  hours  safely  landed  on  Westminster  Bridge, 
only  a  few  yards  from  my  hotel.  The  Thames  is 
a  narrow  but  a  very  deep  river.  It  admits  the 
largest  class  vessels  up  to  London.  Even  the  Great 
Eastern  is  built  here,  and  is  now  nearly  finished. 
She  will  be  able  to  come  up  to  any  wharf  in  Lon- 
don, and  take  in  her  cargo.  Over  the  Thames  are 
eight  bridges  ;  four  stone,  three  iron,  and  one  wood. 
London  Bridge  is  the  oldest.  It  is  built  of  Aber- 
deen granite  ;  is  928  feet  long,  53  feet  wide,  has 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN    EUROPE.  55 

five  arches,  and  cost  £2,000,000  sterling.  This  is 
the  bridge  from  which  so  many  persons  throw 
themselves  into  the  dark  waters  of  the  Thames. 
At  London  this  river  is  about  250  yards  wide.  As 
you  approach  the  sea,  forty  miles  distant,  it  gets 
wider  and  wider,  till  you  reach  Gravesend,  where 
it  is  quite  a  respectable  stream,  about  the  size  of 
the  Atchafalaya,  where  it  goes  into  Berwick's  Bay. 

In  my  last  letter,  I  failed  to  describe  the  new 
Palace  of  Westminster,  or  the  House  of  Parliament. 
It  is  an  immense  pile,  on  the  very  banks  of  the 
Thames,  built  after  the  Tudor  Gothic  style,  from 
designs  by  Sir  Charles  Barry.  It  covers  an  area 
of  8  acres,  and  is  000  feet  in  length.  The  walls 
are  of  brick,  faced  externally  with  limestone.  The 
waters  of  the  Thames  wash  its  very  foundations, 
which  are  made  of  Aberdeen  granite.  The  entire 
building  is  panelled  with  rich  tracery,  and  pro- 
fusely decorated  with  statues  and  shields,  and  coats 
of  arms  of  the  numerous  kings  and  queens  of 
England.  In  the  south-west  angle  is  the  Victoria 
Tower,  75  feet  square  and  340  feet  high.  This 
great  building  is  magnificently  decorated  through- 
out, with  carved  oak  panelling,  gilding,  fresco 
painting,  and  richly  stained-glass  windows.  Take 
it  all  in  all,  and  it  is  the  finest  state  building  in 
the  world,  and  the  most  perfect  specimen  of  Gothic 
architecture  now  in  existence. 

The  Tower  next  claims  our  attention.  It  stands 
on  the  banks  of  the  Thames,  and  occupies  an  area 
of  12  acres,  not  very  far  from  London  Bridge.    On 


56        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

the  south  side  is  an  archway  called  the  "  Traitor's 
Gate,"  through  which  state  prisoners  were  brought 
from  the  river.  Tradition  says  that  Julias  Caesar 
laid  the  foundations  of  this  ancient  fortress,  but  we 
know  that  in  1078  William  the  Conqueror  built 
what  is  called  the  White  Tower.  It  stands  in  the 
quadrangle,  around  which  are  several  other  towers, 
each  known  by  its  own  distinctive  name.  Besides 
its  use  as  a  fortress,  the  Tower  has  been  the  tempora- 
ry residence  of  many  of  the  royal  family.  But  it  is 
as  a  great  gloomy  state  prison,  where  kings  and 
queens,  statesmen,  warriors,  and  philosophers  have 
been  confined,  that  history  has  brought  down  to  us 
the  "  Tower  of  London."  In  the  days  of  the  Tu- 
dors  and  Plantagenets,  the  cry  was,  "  To  the  Tower," 
and  soon  the  head  of  the  unfortunate  victim  was 
seen  in  the  fatal  basket.  Here  Edward  Y.  and 
his  tender  brother  were  smothered  by  order  of  the 
"bloody  Bichard,"  and  here  Anne  Boleyn  and 
Catharine  Howard  were  taken  to  the  "  block  of 
shame."  In  passing  along  the  gloomy  passages 
and  dark  corridors  of  the  Tower,  I  thought  of 
Queen  Anne  and  Margaret  ;  of  Hastings  and 
Buckingham  ;  of  Bivers,  and  Vaughan,  and  Grey, 
and  then  methought  I  saw  flitting  along,  the  son-in- 
law  of  renowned  Warwick,  the  false,  fleeting,  per- 
jured Clarence,  and  heard  him  in  his  deep  anguish 
exclaim, 

"  0  God  !  if  my  deep  prayers  cannot  appease  thee, 
But  thou  wilt  be  avenged  on  my  misdeeds ; 
Yet  execute  thy  wrath  on  me  alone ; 
Oh !  spare  my  gniltless  wife  and  my  poor  children !  " 


OR,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  57 

The  room  is  shown  wherein  lay  the  royal  chil- 
dren, "  those  gentle  babes "  so  early  doomed  to 
death.  In  visiting  this  room,  the  tear  of  sympathy 
is  often  shed  over  the  sad  fate  of  these  tender 
princes.  In  an  apartment  appropriated  especially 
to  the  purpose,  are  seen  the  Kegalia  of  England  ; 
the  crown  jewels,  bracelets,  brooches,  &c.  Here 
also  is  the  celebrated  "  Koorinoor  diamond,"  to- 
gether with  many  other  jewels,  of  lesser  note,  all 
exposed  to  view,  under  a  strong  iron  framework, 
covered  with  glass.  This  apartment  is  kept  by  a 
female  person,  who  goes  through  her  rigmarole  of 
stereotype  descriptions  in  a  very  fast  and  indistinct 
manner,  and  then  immediately  takes  her  seat  at 
the  door,  expecting  every  one  to  drop  her  a  penny 
or  two,  as  they  pass  out.  The  armory  hall  is  a  se- 
ries of  rooms  appropriated  to  all  species  of  weap- 
ons, from  the  earliest  to  the  present  date.  Here 
are  cannon  and  stacks  of  arms  taken  by  the  British 
in  their  battles  all  over  the  globe.  Here  are  guns 
and  pistols  of  every  age  and  country.  Here  is  the 
cross-bow  of  Robin  Hood,  and  the  claymore  of 
Rob  Roy,  the  Macgregor.  Here  also  is  the  battle- 
axe  of  Richard  the  Lion-hearted,  and  the  breast- 
plate and  helmet  of  Edward  the  Black  Prince. 
The  swords  of  Cromwell,  of  Marlborough,  of  Nel- 
son, and  of  Wellington,  are  exhibited  here  with 
great  pride  and  ostentation  by  the  numerous  guides. 
These  guides  are  dressed  in  full  military  uniform, 
with  fancy  cocked  hats,  ornamented  with  numerous 
bows  of  pink  ribbon.  They  are  selected  from  the 
3* 


58        TKAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  j 

commissioned  officers  of  the  army,  who  have  be- 
come aged  or  wounded  in  the  service.  The  post  is 
a  very  lucrative  one,  for  nearly  every  visitor  gives 
some  gratuity  to  them.  They  are  exceedingly  gruff 
and  harsh  to  the  "  unwashed  mob,"  to  the  laboring 
man  or  mechanic,  but  to  the  well-dressed  gentle- 
man, who  bears  outward  evidence  that  he  has 
money  in  his  pocket,  these  "  pompous  turkey- 
cocks  "  are  exceedingly  attentive,  and  almost  an- 
noying. The  fact  is,  the  mechanic  or  laboring 
man  has  about  as  much  chance  in  society  in  Eng- 
land, as  a  feline  animal  has  in  that  hot  country  we 
read  about,  without  pedal  extremities,  wherewithal 
to  defend  herself. 

"  The  Tunnel "  of  the  Thames  is  an  object  of 
great  attraction.  It  is  one  of  the  wonders  of  the 
metropolis.  It  is  situated  about  two  miles  below 
London  Bridge.  It  is  a  work  of  great  skill  and 
untiring  energy,  planned  and  completed  by  Sir 
Isambert  Brunei.  It  is  a  hollow  brick  tube,  di- 
vided into  two  roadways,  each  15  feet  high  and  12 
feet  broad.  It  cost  nearly  $2,000,000,  and  is  con- 
sidered bad  stock,  as  it  does  not  pay  one  per  cent, 
interest  on  the  money  invested.  At  each  end  of 
the  tunnel  there  is  a  place  of  descent,  or  cylindri- 
cal shaft,  of  100  steps,  by  which  foot  passengers 
pass,  on  paying  a  toll  of  a  penny.  The  tunnel  is 
well  kept,  and  appears  to  be  perfectly  safe ;  no 
water  drips  through,  no  stains  even  are  on  the 
sides,  but  all  appears  to  be  as  secure  as  an  ordinary 
dwelling  above  ground.     It  is  occupied  by  a  large 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS    IN   EUROPE.  59 

number  of  girls,  who  sell  books  and  trinkets  of  all 
sorts.  There  is  also  here  a  small  printing  press  in 
constant  use.  A  band  of  music  is  usually  stationed 
here,  who  enliven  the  scene,  and  lighten  your  pock- 
ets of  your  coppers,  by  handing  round  the  hat. 

London  contains  760  churches  ;  of  these,  370 
belong  to  the  Established  Church ;  25  to  the  Bo- 
man  Catholic ;  Independents,  130  ;  Methodists,  120 ; 
Baptists,  100 ;  Congregationalists,  38 ;  Presbyte- 
rians, 18  ;  Mormons,  13  ;  Jews,  12  ;  Unitarians,  7, 
and  Lutherans,  6.  There  are  others,  but  not  nu- 
merous. 

St.  Paul's  Cathedral  is  the  largest  and  best 
known  edifice  in  the  city.  It  is  built  on  the  top  of 
Ludgate  Hill.  Its  architect,  Sir  Christopher  Wren, 
considered  himself  peculiarly  fortunate  to  have 
lived  until  this  greatest  of  all  his  works  was 
completed.  It  is  510  feet  in  length,  and  250  in 
breadth.  The  church  is  crowned  with  an  immense 
dome,  surmounted  by  a  lantern,  ball  and  cross,  the 
height  of  the  cross  from  the  pavement  being  404 
feet.  The  columns  which  support  the  immense 
dome,  are  of  the  Corinthian  and  composite  orders, 
and  are  222  feet  high.  This  vast  structure  is  built 
entirely  of  Portland  stone,  at  a  cost  of  about 
$4,000,000.  In  this  cathedral  are  buried  Sir 
Ralph  Abercromby,  Sir  John  Moore,  Dr.  Samuel 
Johnson,  Howard,  and  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  the 
great  painter.  Here,  also,  underneath  the  great 
dome,  lie  Lord  Nelson  and  the  Duke  of  Welling- 
ton. 


60        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAK  PLANTER  ; 

After  St.  Paul's,  is  Westminster  Abbey.  This 
I  have  in  a  previous  letter  described  to  you.  It  is 
by  far  the  finest  ecclesiastical  edifice  in  England, 
and  one  of  the  very  best  specimens  of  the  pointed 
style.  In  this  old  and  venerated  Abbey,  are 
crowned  the  kings  and  queens  of  Great  Britain, 
and  here  many  of  them  are  buried,  their  earthly 
crowns  being  laid  aside,  and  are  now  awaiting  that 
"  dread  trump,"  at  whose  sound  king  and  queen, 
prince  and  people,  high  and  low,  must  all  come, 
and  in  His  awful  presence  bow  the  head  and  bend 
the  knee. 

There  are  many  other  fine  churches  in  London. 
Among  them  are  St.  Bartholomew's,  in  Smithfield  ; 
St.  Stephen's,  in  Walbrook ;  Bow  Church ;  St. 
Bride's  in  Fleet  Street,  and  St.  Martin's-in-the- 
Fields,  all  fine  specimens  of  their  peculiar  style. 

For  the  Eev.  Mr.  Spurgeon,  a  Baptist  clergy- 
man, a  huge  church  is  now  being  built,  which  I 
should  think  would  hold,  when  completed,  10,000 
persons. 

I  regret  that  it  will  be  impossible  for  me  to 
write  you  much  more  about  this  great  city.  There 
are  hundreds  of  interesting  places  and  things  here, 
to  tell  of  which  it  would  fill  a  volume.  The  parks 
of  London  are  delightful  places  for  recreation  and 
fresh  air.  Hyde  Park  is  the  largest.  It  contains 
400  acres,  and  lies  between  ITxbridge  and  Kensing- 
ton roads.  In  it  is  an  artificial  lake,  called  the 
Serpentine.  A  small  portion  or  strip  of  this  park 
is  railed  off  for  equestrians,  and  is  called  "  Kotten 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   ETTKOPE.  61 

Row."  Here  lords  and  ladies,  on  fine  blooded 
steeds,  are  daily  seen  exercising  themselves.  Next 
is  St.  James's  Park,  83  acres,  and  extends  from 
Buckingham  Palace  to  the  Horse  Guards.  On  the 
north  side  of  London  is  Regent's  Park,  403  acres. 
Round  this  Park  is  a  delightful  drive,  nearly  two 
miles  in  length.  Here  are  the  Botanical  and  Zoo- 
logical  Gardens,  which  are  exceedingly  interesting 
to  the  curious  traveller,  or  the  man  of  science. 
Here  I  saw  a  "  laughing  hyena."  The  keeper,  in 
feeding  him,  would  hold  up  to  his  cage  a  piece  of 
meat,  and  tell  him  to  laugh  a  little.  The  impa- 
tient animal  would  break  out  into  the  most  un- 
earthly screams,  imitating  in  a  remarkable  degree 
the  loud  and  wild  laugh  of  a  maniac. 

The  Queen  is  not  here.  She  is  on  the  Isle  of 
Wight  at  Osborne ;  consequently  I  have  not  seen 
her.  I  shall  go  to  Osborne  expressly  to  see  her 
Majesty,  for  whom  I  have  a  very  high  regard.  Mr. 
Charles  Dickens  is  also  absent  from  town — out  in 
the  country  at  his  residence,  Strawberry  Hill.  I 
called  on  Dr.  Samuel  Warren,  the  author  of  the 
"Diary  of  a  Physician,"  and  "Ten  Thousand  a 
Year."  He  entertained  me  very  handsomely,  and 
asked  a  thousand  cmestions  about  our  country  and 
our  men  of  letters.  He  is  an  elegant  gentleman, 
and  exceedingly  genial  in  his  manners. 

My  friend  and  travelling  companion,  Dr.  Smith, 
has  returned  from  the  land  of  "  Brither  Scots,"  and 
is  hurrying  me  off  to  Paris.  Napoleon  is  there 
with  his  Italian  army,  fresh  from  Magenta  and  Sol- 


62  TliAVELS    OF   A   SUGAK   PLANTER  ; 

ferino.  He  proposes  to  make  a  grand  entree  on  the 
12th,  and  like  the  great  Pompey  or  Julius  Caesar, 
bring  his  "  trophies  into  Rome."  It  will  be  a  great 
day,  a  glorious  day,  for  excitable,  fete-loving  Paris. 
Napoleon  is  a  great  man.  He  has  whipped  the 
Austrians  and  freed  Italy,  but  he  never  can  whip 
the  English.  They  eat  too  much  roast  beef  here, 
and  drink  too  much  ale,  ever  to  be  whipped.  1 
am  satisfied  that  England  will  never  be  conquered 
so  long  as  she  is  true  to  herself.  Her  bold  peas- 
antry love  their  native  land.  Her  lords  and  titled 
gentry  are  always  foremost  on  the  battle-field,  and 
go  where  the  danger  is  the  greatest.  She  is  arm- 
ing now  for  the  contest,  and  will  meet  her  enemy, 
whoever  he  may  be,  foot  to  foot,  and  beard  to 
beard. 

By  the  way,  the  fighting  men  of  London  are 
patronized  here  by  the  highest  dignitaries  of  state. 
I  went  with  a  friend  to  see  the  "  Fancy,"  and  saw 
the  "  ugly  mug  "  of  Tom  Sayers.  He  is  well  "  put 
up  "  from  the  ground,  but  a  much  smaller  man  than 
I  expected  to  see.  He  says  "  that  he  can  whip 
any  man  that  walks  shoe-leather."  May  be  so, 
may  be  not.  The  "  Boy,"  I  am  told,  talks  of  com- 
ing over.  He  may  at  least  worry  him  a  little. 
One  good  blow  from  him,  I  think,  would  break 
Tom's  shoulder  or  crack  his  "  nut." 

I  went  to  the  Eoyal  Italian  Opera  last  night,  at 
the  Covent  Garden.  The  opera  was  "  le  Pardon 
de  Ploermel,"  by  Meyerbeer.  The  house  is  a  mag- 
nificent establishment ;  audience  very  fashionable, 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  63 

and  music  delightful.  London  is  a  great  city : 
great  in  its  raggeclness  and  its  vice — great  in  its 
learning,  its  arts  and  sciences — but  greater  still 
in  its  Christianity  and  its  noble  charities. 

Yours  truly, 

II.  W.  A. 


64 


TRAVELS   OF   A   SUGAR  PLANTER  J 


LETTER     NO.  VIII. 

Hotel  du  Louvre,  Paris,  August  13,  1859. 

Editors  Advocate  : 

I  arrived  in  this  great  centre  of  fashion  and  ele- 
gance on  the  7th  instant,  and  have,  by  the  assist- 
ance of  a  cab,  a  stallion  and  a  courier,  seen  a  good 
deal  of  what  may  be  termed  "  real  life  in  Paris." 
The  Neapolitans  say,  "  see  Naples  and  die  ; "  but 
I  say,  see  Paris  and  never  say  die,  but  live  as  long 
as  you  possibly  can,  for  certainly  there  are  more 
inducements  held  out  here  to  the  living,  than  any 
other  city  in  the  world.     From  London  to  Paris  is 
twelve  hours.     Fare  £3  Is.  6cl     All  the  way  to 
Dover  you  pass  through  the  counties  of  Surrey  and 
Kent,  the  poorest  in  all  England.    Immense  beds 
of  chalk  crop  out  in  every  direction.     The  princi- 
pal production  of  the  soil  is  hops,  which  command 
a  high  price,  and  are  used  in  large  quantities  by 
the  numerous  breweries  in  the  country.     Dover  is 
a  queer-looking  old  place.     Here  are  those  cele- 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  65 

brated  Shakspeare  cliffs,  which  the  immortal  bard 
has  described  so  sublimely  : 

"  How  fearful 
And  dizzy  'tis  to  cast  one's  eyes  so  low ! 
The  crows  and  choughs  that  wing  the  midway  air 
Show  scarce  so  gross  as  beetles  ;  halfway  down 
Hangs  one  that  gathers  samphire — dreadful  trade  ! 
Methinks  he  seemes  no  bigger  than  his  head. 
The  fishermen  that  walk  upon  the  beach 
Appear  like  mice.     I'll  look  no  more, 
Lest  my  brain  turn,  and  the  deficient  sight 
Topple  down  headlong." 

I  did  not  find  these  aforesaid  cliffs  of  such  im- 
mense height.  Shakspeare  has  certainly  taken  a 
good  deal  of  poetic  license,  for  they  look  very  much 
like  "  Ellis'  Cliffs  "  near  Natchez,  or  the  Port  Hud- 
son bluffs— not  aii  inch  higher  ! 

As  to  the  "  samphire  man,"  I  did  not  see  him 
at  all,  at  all.  From  Dover  to  Calais,  the  distance 
across  the  English  Channel  is  short — only  twenty 
miles.  You  can  see  the  French  coast  very  plainly, 
the  nearest  point  being  seventeen  miles.  The  day 
I  crossed  was  very  calm,  but  still  I  became  very 
sea-sick.  The  waves  are  short,  and  in  seamen's 
phrase,  "  choppy."  This  causes  the  vessel  to  rock 
in  a  most  wretched  manner,  and  strange  to  say, 
makes  one  more  sea-sick  than  crossing  the  ocean. 
On  my  arrival  at  Calais,  a  very  polite  Frenchman 
(a  commissionaire)  came  forward,  took  charge  of 
my  baggage  and  passport — had  all  put  through  in 
short  order,  and  left  me  to  eat  my  dinner  in  peace. 


6Q  TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

Here  we  found  the  most  delicious  fruit ;  peaches, 
iigs  and  grapes,  and  the  most  delightful  claret. 
From  Calais  to  Paris  is  quite  a  long  distance,  235 
miles.  We  passed  through  St.  Omer,  celebrated 
for  its  ancient  college  of  the  Jesuits,  now  dwindled 
almost  to  insignificance — thence  through  Lille,  a 
large  city,  particularly  remarkable  for  its  manufac- 
tures of  thread,  gloves  and  linen.  This  place  has 
been  the  scene  of  many  bloody  battles  in  the  early 
history  of  France ;  for  being  near  the  frontier,  it 
was  often  attacked  by  the  enemy.  The  entire  city 
is  surrounded  by  immense  fortifications,  consisting 
of  walls  and  ditches,  scarps  and  counterscarps,  and 
every  thing  else  that  the  genius  of  the  great  Yauban 
could  invent. 

Passing  through  Douay  and  Yalenciennes,  both 
very  renowned  cities,  the  one  for  books  and  the 
other  for  fine  laces,  we  arrived  in  Paris,  and  put 
up  at  the  Hotel  du  Louvre,  an  immense  concern, 
gotten  up  in  a  most  magnificent  style,  and  partly 
on  the  American  plan.  It  is  the  head-quarters  for 
Americans,  and  at  present  is  crowded  with  "  those 
occidentals."  There  are  to-day,  I  am  informed, 
1,500  persons  at  the  Hotel.  The  English  custom  is 
pretty  well  carried  out,  with  the  exception  of  a  ta- 
ble d'hote.  You  take  your  room  and  pay  for  it. 
If  you  eat  at  the  Hotel,  you  are  charged  as  at  a 
restaurant.  The  restaurant  is  the  great  eating 
place  of  Paris.  Everybody  seems  to  patronize  the 
cafe  for  breakfast,  and  the  restaurant  for  dinner. 
The  celebrated  Trois  Freres  is  assuredly  a  very 


OR,  SIX  MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  67 

elegant  establishment,  and  they  give  you  there  a 
magnificent  dinner  and  a  good  bottle  of  wine,  but 
it  is  not  superior  to  Victor's  in  New  Orleans.  Vic- 
tor will  give  you  just  as  good  a  bottle  of  wine  as 
you  can  get  in  Paris,  and  I  don't  know  but  a  little 
better,  for  we  all  know  that  a  sea  voyage  improves 
claret,  while  Burgundy  is  the  only  wine  tjiat  does 
not  bear  transportation.  "Wines  are  generally  bet- 
ter here,  and  much  cheaper  than  with  us. 

In  public  buildings,  statuary  and  painting,  in 
fountains  and  flowers,  in  music  and  dancing,  and 
pirouetting,  in  all  these  Paris  excels  the  world. 
The  Palace  of  the  Luxembourg  is  the  most  gor- 
geous, I  presume,  ever  built  by  the  ingenuity  of 
man.  I  have  seen  the  royal  chambers  in  Windsor 
Castle,  and  Buckingham,  the  most  splendid  in 
England,  but  they  will  not  begin  to  compare  with 
the  salle  du  trone  of  the  Luxembourg.  This  is  a 
vast  room  whose  walls  are  covered  with  rare  paint- 
ings, while  the  ceiling  is  almost  an  entire  fresco. 
In  this  hall  are  the  statues  of  the  great  Napoleon 
and  Julius  Caesar.  So  many  are  the  paintings  and 
so  dazzling  is  this  imperial  hall,  that  the  visitor  be- 
comes bewildered,  and  is  almost  pained  with  the 
excess  of  splendor.  The  Hotel  des  Invalides  is  full 
of  interest.  It  is  one  of  the  largest  edifices  in 
Paris,  and  contains  in  its  capacious  apartments  the 
old  soldiers  of  the  empire,  who  have  become 
wounded  in  battle  or  infirm  by  age.  In  the  front 
portion  of  this  immense  edifice,  on  the  left  hand 
as  you  enter,  lie  the  remains  of  the  great  Napo- 


68        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER 


leon,  surrounded  by  the  flags  that  he  took  in  his 
numerous  battles.  Here  the  lights  are  always 
kept  burning,  and  the  crowd  is  so  great  to  see  the 
coffin  of  this  wonderful  man,  that  many  have  to 
wait  for  hours  before  they  can  even  get  near  the 
railing  which  surrounds  the  sacred  relics.  Such  is 
imperishable  glory.  Napoleon  is  now  almost  wor- 
shipped as  a  god ;  and  if  it  were  possible  for  him  to 
rise  from  the  dead  and  walk  the  streets  of  Paris, 
all  France  would  go  completely  crazy  with  enthu- 
siasm. 

The  churches  here  are  very  fine,  and  full  of  rare 
paintings  by  the  old  masters.  Notre  Dame  is  per- 
haps the  most  remarkable.  In  it  the  Te  Deums 
are  chanted  on  grand  state  occasions.  Here  the 
Emperor  and  Empress  frequently  go  to  Mass,  and 
from  the  tower  of  this  old  church  was  thrown  one 
of  the  Archbishops  of  France,  by  a  certain  Hunch- 
back, according  to  our  friend  Victor  Hugo. 

The  Madeleine  is  the  most  chaste  and  elegant 
building  in  Paris.  It  is  built  after  the  style  of  the 
Parthenon  in  Athens,  and  is  surrounded  by  im- 
mense Corinthian  pillars.  Here  also  are  many  fine 
paintings. 

The  Pantheon  is  another  magnificent  church. 
This  contains  the  apotheosis  of  Napoleon.  In  the 
immense  dome  is  a  splendid  fresco  painting.  It 
is  "  La  Mort  Patrie  La  Justice,  Gloire."  In  the 
last  -is  Napoleon  embracing  glory.  This  painting 
attracts  thousands  to  see  it,  and  you  daily  meet  old 
and  young,  prince  and  peasant,  men  and  women, 


OR,  SIX   MONTHS    IN   EUKOPE.  69 

with  upturned  faces  gazing  in  mute  admiration  and 
astonishment  at  this  great  triumph  of  the  "  divine 
art." 

I  must  close  this  letter.,  To-day  I  went  to  Pere 
la  Chaise,  the  great  Cemetery  of  Paris.  In  wan- 
dering through  it  I  came  to  the  graves  of  Heloise 
and  Abelard.  These  are  surrounded  with  a  plain 
iron  railing.  I  noticed  that  the  tombs  were  covered 
with  many  wreaths  and  flowers,  brought  by  all 
classes  as  offerings  to  the  constancy  of  love.  My 
courier  took  me  to  the  grave  of  Massena.  A 
splendid  monument  rises  to  his  memory,  but  shame 
to  tell  it,  by  the  side  of  Massena  lie  the  mortal  re- 
mains of  Marshal  Ney,  the  bravest  of  the  brave, 
without  even  a  head-stone  to  mark  the  spot.  Pere 
la  Chaise  is  a  democratic  burial-ground.  Prince 
and  peasant,  rich  and  poor,  high  and  low,  are  all 
here  together  in  close  proximity,  each  awaiting  the 
final  trump  of  the  archangel. 

"  The  glories  of  our  birth  and  state 
Are  shadows,  not  substantial  things. 
There  is  no  armor  against  fate — 
Death  lays  his  icy  hand  on  kings  ; 
Sceptre  and  crown  must  tumble  down, 
And  in  the  dust  be  equal  made 
With  the  poor  crooked  scythe  and  spade." 

Good-bye.  I  shall  write  you  again  from  this 
city,  and  give  you  a  bird's-eye  view  of  some  of  the 
"  mysteries  of  Paris." 

Yours,  truly, 

H.  W.  A. 


70        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER; 


LETTER    1STO.  IX. 

Hotel  de  la  Meslopole,  Geneva,  Switzerland, 

August  20,  1859. 

Editors  Advocate  : 

From  Paris  to  this  city  is  twelve  hours  by  rail. 
The  weather  being  exceedingly  warm,  we  have  suf- 
fered very  much.  Eor  many  miles  after  leaving 
Paris,  I  find  the  country  rather  tame  and  exceed- 
ingly poor,  particularly  through  the  departments 
of  Seine  and  Marne,  and  the  Yonne.  Bnt  few 
grapes  are  grown  in  this  part  of  France.  On  en- 
tering the  Cote  d'Or,  however,  I  found  the  hills  clad 
with  vines,  and  all  nature  giving  evidences  of  a 
rich  and  genial  soil.  This  is  the  heart  of  Burgun- 
dy, and  here  is  Dijon,  an  old  town,  its  former 
capital.  The  "  House  of  Burgundy  "  has  played  a 
very  important  part  in  the  history  of  the  world,  for 
Mary  and  Margaret  have  both  left  their  marks  in 
the  "  Book  of  Time,"  while  the  "  Dukes  "  were  im- 
portant personages,  even  in  the  presence  of  royalty 
itself.      Besides,  a  certain  dark-colored   beverage, 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  71 

called  Burgundy  wine,  has  for  centuries  had  a  very- 
perceptible  influence  upon  the  heads  and  hearts, 
the  nerves  and  brains,  the  minds  and  bodies  of 
half  the  crowned  heads  of  Europe.  This  old  town 
is  rich  in  the  history  of  the  middle  ages.  It  pos- 
sesses a  museum,  a  picture  gallery,  and  a  cabinet 
of  Natural  History.  The  place  looks  exceedingly 
quiet.  It  has  a  Place  d'Armes  or  public  square,  in 
the  shape  of  a  horseshoe,  which  is  in  front  of  the 
ancient  palace  of  the  dukes  of  Burgundy.  Those 
delicious  wines,  Chambertin  and  Romanee,  are  still 
made  here  in  this  immediate  neighborhood.  They 
are  just  as  good  now  as  they  were  in  the  days  of 
the  great  Napoleon,  who  preferred  them  to  all 
others.  These  rich  Burgundy  wines  do  not  bear 
transportation  like  the  Rhine  wines,  or  those  of  the 
south  of  France,  consequently  no  man  who  has  not 
visited  France,  can  even  imagine  what  a  real  good 
bottle  of  Burgundy  is.  There  is  a  richness  and  a 
delicious  bouquet  about  this  wine  which  no  other 
possesses.  It  comes  as  near  the  nectar  of  the  gods 
as  any  tiring  earthly  can,  for  I  believe  in  my  soul 
that  St.  Anthony  himself,  who  resisted  all  other 
temptations,  could  not  resist  a  bottle — aye,  a  couple 
of  bottles  of  pure,  unadulterated,  untravelled  Cham- 
bertin ! 

Leaving  Dijon,  the  face  of  the  country  becomes 
hilly  and  then  mountainous,  for  we  soon  strike  the 
Department  of  Jura,  the  Franche-Comte  of  the  old 
regime.  Here  the  mountains  begin  to  crop  out  on 
all  sides,  for  you  are  soon  in  the  very  heart  of  that 


72        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

long  chain  of  "  Jura's  rugged  heights,"  which  sep- 
arates France  from  Switzerland.  The  French  are 
close  cultivators,  but  are  far  behind  the  English  in 
the  art  of  husbandry.  They  are  generally  small 
landholders,  and  consequently  there  are  no  fine 
castles  or  elegant  lordly  mansions  in  the  country. 
You  see  neat  cottages  and  pretty  chateaus,  sur- 
rounded with  smiling  vineyards  and  gaily  dressed 
"  nut-brown  "  maids,  all  of  which  is  very  agreeable 
and  quite  romantic. 

I  stopped  at  a  vineyard  in  Burgundy,  and  in- 
quired what  price  they  paid  their  laborers.  I  was 
informed  that  the  men  were  paid  two  francs  per 
day  during  the  vintage  season,  and  the  women  one 
franc,  board  and  lodging  included ;  and  strange  to 
tell,  each  laborer  drank  eight  bottles  of  wine  per 
day !  This  seems  almost  incredible,  but  I  have  it 
from  the  very  best  authority.  Every  laboring  peas- 
ant will  drink  two  bottles  of  wine  for  his  breakfast, 
two  for  his  dinner,  one  for  his  supper,  and  the  rest 
between  meals,  for  your  honest  Frenchman  despises 
water !     He  never  takes  it. 

Well,  let  us  return  to  Geneva,  for  here  we  are 
in  sight  of  Mont  Blanc,  that  looms  up  like  a  huge 
spectre  in  the  distance.  This  is  an  old,  and  rather 
queer-looking  city,  delightfully  situated  on  the 
lake  Geneva,  and  at  the  head  of  the  Khone.  Here 
the  Khone  issues  from  the  lake,  in  a  few  hundred 
yards  receives  the  Arve,  (a  turgid  stream  coming 
down  from  the  glaciers,)  and  passing  Lyons,  emp- 
ties itself  into  the  Mediterranean  Sea.     The  meet- 


OR,  BIX   MONTHS   IN  EUROPE.  73 

ing  of  the  Arve  and  the  Rhone  is  very  similar  to 
that  of  the  Missouri  and  Mississippi — only  on  a 
much  smaller  scale,  for  neither  of  these  celebrated 
streams  is  larger  than  the  Amite.  It  was  here,  in 
Geneva,  that  Jean  Jacques  Rousseau,  son  of  a 
watchmaker,  was  born.  'Twas  here  that  his  first 
book,  the  Emile,  was  publicly  burnt  by  the  com- 
mon hangman,  and  strange  to  say,  it  was  here  that 
Yoltaire  assisted  in  this  persecution.  The  house 
where  Jean  Jacques  (as  he  is  called)  was  born,  is 
shown  to  the  curious  traveller.  On  a  beautiful 
island  where  the  Rhone  issues  from  the  lake,  is  a 
bronze  statue  placed  on  granite,  of  this  remarkable 
man. 

It  was  here  also  that  John  Calvin,  the  great 
Reformer,  lived.  He  came  to  Geneva  as  an  itiner- 
ant preacher  flying  from  Rome,  and  in  a  few  years 
became  the  Dictator  of  the  Republic.  From  the 
Cathedral  St.  Pierre  he  thundered  forth  his  severe 
denunciations  against  the  corruptions  of  the  times. 
Here  he  entertained  John  Knox  when  driven  out 
of  Scotland,  and  here  it  was  that  he  ordered  Serve- 
tus  to  be  led  to  the  stake  for  entertaining:  religious 
opinions  not  exactly  orthodox.  This  is  one  of  the 
darkest  spots  on  Calvin's  character,  for  he  was  a 
great  and  good  man,  and  his  memory  here  is  much 
revered.  He  has  left  his  mark  behind  him.  A 
very  large  and  respectable  community,  both  in  the 
old  and  new  world,  are  his  followers.  His  name 
will  live  as  long  as  the  Bible,  for  he  was  one  of  its 
greatest  expounders.  In  the  Cemetery  of  the  Plain 
i 


74        TKAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

Palais,  on  the  banks  of  the  Rhone,  lie  the  mortal 
remains  of  John  Calvin.  No  monumental  marble 
marks  his  grave,  but  simply  a  plain  rough  granite 
stone,  on  which  is  cut  J.  C. 

Geneva  is  a  small  city,  only  numbering  about 
40,000  inhabitants — still  she,  by  her  sons,  has  had 
a  wonderful  influence  in  the  affairs  of  this  world. 
In  Theology,  there  was  Calvin  ;  in  Literature, 
Rousseau  and  Yoltaire  ;  in  Politics,  Neckar  and 
Dumont ;  in  Science,  De  Saussure,  and  Huber,  and 
De  Luc.  Among  the  living  great  men  are  De  La 
Rive,  the  Chemist  ;  Maunoir,  the  Oculist,  and 
Merle  d'Aubigne,  the  Historian. 

Geneva  is  improving  very  rapidly.  It  has  be- 
come a  great  place  for  fine  classic  schools,  princi- 
pally supported  by  English  and  Americans.  Here 
is  the  place  to  learn  the  modern  languages.  The 
present  occupation  of  the  great  majority  of  its  la- 
boring population,  is  the  manufacture  of  watches, 
jewelry,  and  musical  instruments.  The  jewellers' 
shops  here  are  very  fine — you  can  buy  a  good  gold 
watch  for  $40,  while  diamonds  and  other  precious 
stones  sell  for  about  one-half  of  what  we  have  to 
pay  in  New  Orleans.  The  water  of  lake  Geneva 
is  a  deep  indigo  blue,  while  the  high  mountains 
which  surround  it  give  it  the  most  romantic  and 
picturesque  appearance. 

I  leave  to-morrow  for  Mont  Blanc  and  the  Yale 
of  Chamouni  in  Savoy,  and  shall  write  you  again 
from  the  region  of  eternal  snow.     Adieu. 

Yours,  truly, 

II.  W.  A. 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUKOPE.  75 


LETTEK    NO.  X. 

Geneva,  Switzerland,  August  24,  1859. 
Rev.  Z.  Butlek,  D.  D.,  Port  Gibson,  Miss. : 

My  Dear  Sir — Inclosed  I  send  you  a  sprig  of 
fern,  wliicli  I  pulled  from  a  tree  that  grows  over 
the  grave  of  John  Calvin.  Immediately  upon  my 
arrival  here  I  procured  a  courier,  and  hastened  oif 
in  search — first,  of  Calvin's  house ;  second,  his 
church  ;  and  third,  his  grave.  They  all  are  shown. 
His  house  in  which  he  lived  has  been  so  much 
changed  and  remodelled,  that  scarcely  a  vestige  of 
the  old  mansion  remains.  His  church,  the  venera- 
ble St.  Pierre,  is  still  standing  in  its  awful  gran- 
deur, and  is  visited  by  thousands  of  strangers,  from 
every  land.  On  entering  it,  I  found  a  plain  Gothic 
structure,  of  extreme  simplicity.  It  is  one  of  the 
finest  uncorrupted  specimens  of  Gothic  architec- 
ture of  the  eleventh  century,  now  in  existence.  I 
am  just  from  Paris,  where  there  are  many  churches, 
whose  walls  are  covered  with  fine  paintings,  and 
whose  ceilings  are  brilliant  with  frescoes.     How  dif- 


76        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

ferent  is  this  venerable  old  Protestant  cathedral. 
Not  one  painting  hangs  on  its  aged  walls — no  fres- 
coes adorn  its  ceilings.  In  this  church  are  but  two 
monuments.  One  to  the  great  Huguenot,  Comte 
Henri  de  Rohan,  and  Agrippa  d'Aubigny,  friend 
of  Henry  IV.,  and  the  grandfather  of  the  celebrated 
Madame  de  Maintenon.  In  the  centre  of  the  paved 
floor  lie  buried  the  remains  of  Cardinal  Broglie, 
who  presided  at  the  trial  of  John  Huss,  and  who 
stood  by  the  stake  and  saw  the  man  of  God  receive 
the  martyr's  crown.  With  the  consent  of  the  sex- 
ton, I  walked  up  into  the  pulpit.  "While  seated  in 
the  chair  of  Calvin,  I  thought  of  the  stirring  times  of 
this  great  reformer.  It  was  from  this  very  spot  that 
he  denounced  the  prevailing  immorality  of  Geneva, 
with  such  eloquence  and  force,  that  profligacy  was 
obliged  to  hide  its  head.  The  pulpit  of  St.  Pierre 
became  at  once  his  tribune  and  his  judgment-seat, 
and  his  hearers,  adopting  a  vigorous  and  puritanical 
austerity  of  manners,  punished  with  severity  every 
transgression  of  Calvin's  code  of  morals. 

Geneva  still  holds  on  to  her  Protestant  faith, 
although  the  influence  of  France  and  French  man- 
ners and  customs  is  very  strong,  and  the  outside 
pressure  very  great.  For  many  years  one  of  the 
austere  laws  of  Calvin  prohibited  theatres,  and  it 
has  only  been  very  recently  that  a  "  salle  de  spec- 
tacle" has  been  built.  Three-fourths  of  Geneva 
are  Protestants — the  rest  being  Jews  and  Poman- 
ists. 

From  the  cathedral  I  went  to  the  Cemeterv  of 


OR,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   ETJKOPE.  77 


Plain  Palais,  on  the  banks  of  the  Khone,  and  there 
was  shown  the  grave  of  John  Calvin.  On  his 
death  he  requested  that  no  monument  of  any  kind 
should  be  erected  over  his  grave,  and  now  nothing 
but  a  plain,  rough,  granite  head-stone  marks  the 
place  where  he  was  buried.  On  the  stone  is  this 
simple  and  short  inscription — "  J.  C."  In  1536 
Calvin  passed  through  Geneva  as  a  fugitive  from 
Italy  to  Basle.  Here  he  was  invited  to  stop  by 
Farel.  He  did  so,  and  soon  the  itinerant  preacher 
became  the  dictator  of  the  republic.  For  twenty- 
three  years  he  ruled  with  uninterrupted  power. 
This  wonderful  man  died  quite  young,  being  only 
fifty-five,  but  he  has  left  his  mark.  In  the  then 
small  town  of  Geneva  he  sowed  the  seeds  of  a  faith, 
that  has  brought  forth  abundant  fruit  in  Scotland, 
in  England,  in  France,  in  Germany,  and  Switzer- 
land. This  same  faith  was  transported  by  the  Pil- 
grim fathers  to  our  own  country,  and  this  same 
faith  had  much  to  do  with  a  certain  paper  called 
a  The  Declaration  of  Independence." 


Hi 


Tis  bound  by  a  thousand  bands  to  my  heart." 

It  was  my  father's  and  mother's  faith — it  shall  al- 
ways be  mine.  Geneva  is  a  beautiful  place,  with 
a  population  of  about  40,000  inhabitants.  It  is 
situated  most  beautifully  on  the  lake,  and  at  the 
foot  of  the  Alps.  Mont  Blanc  is  seen  in  the  dis- 
tance like  a  huge  spectre,  covered  with  eternal 
snows. 

The  English  and  Americans  seem  to  have  se- 


78        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

lected  this  place  to  educate  their  children,  and  by 
their  patronage  have  built  up  fine  schools.  The 
principal  occupation  of  the  inhabitants  is  watch- 
making, and  the  manufacture  of  jewelry  and  musi- 
cal instruments.  A  good  many  books  are  also 
published  here,  while  this  is  the  depot  for  the  finest 
wine  district  of  Switzerland.  A  good  bottle  of 
wine  can  be  had  here  for  thirty-seven  and  a  half 
cents,  and  a  fine  gold  watch  for  forty  dollars. 

Switzerland  is  crowded  with  Americans.  Like 
the  locusts  of  Egypt,  "  they  are  infesting  the  land." 
They  climb  every  noted  rock,  and  cut  their  names 
in  hig  letters.  The  altar  of  Notre  Dame  in  Paris  is 
pencilled  all  over  with  names  of  Americans,  while 
the  pulpit  of  John  Calvin  bears  strong  testimony 
to  the  cutting  qualities  of  a  Yankee's  pocket-knife. 

While  in  London,  I  went  to  the  Surrey  Gardens, 
on  Sunday,  to  hear  the  celebrated  Eev.  Mr.  Spurgeon. 
He  had  an  immense  audience,  some  six  or  eight 
thousand ;  choice  seats,  that  is,  front  or  near  seats, 
being  sold  at  twenty-five  cents  each.  After  the  en- 
tire audience  had  been  quietly  seated,  the  reverend 
gentleman  made  his  appearance,  walked  hurriedly 
to  the  pulpit,  (placed  nearly  in  the  centre  of  the 
vast  hall,)  and  commenced  immediately  divine 
service,  by  reading  the  hymn,  "  Come  thou  fount 
of  every  blessing."  He  then  gave  out  the  hymn 
by  verse  or  stanza.  The  whole  audience  joined  in 
singing.  After  singing  was  prayer,  and  then  he 
read  a  chapter  from  the  Bible,  and  explained  it  as 
he  read.     Then  he  gave  out  the  hymn,  "  Bock  of 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  79 

Ages."  His  reading  of  this  hymn  was  somewhat 
theatrical,  but  its  effect  was  great.  After  singing 
all  but  the  last  verse,  he  stopped,  and  requested 
his  hearers  to  sing  the  last  in  a  slow  and  solemn 
manner.  I  looked  around,  and  I  do  believe  that 
every  person  in  that  vast  assemblage  joined  in  sing- 
ing. The  effect  was  astonishing,  for  when  the 
hymn  was  ended,  there  was  scarcely  a  dry  eye  in 
the  congregation.  He  took  his  text  from  Matthew 
xi.  29 — read  it  over  twice — closed  the  book,  and 
without  note  or  comment,  or  memorandum,  kept 
his  congregation  spell-bound  for  two  hours.  He 
does  not  rant  or  tear  a  passion  into  tatters,  but  is 
earnest  and  persuasive.  His  voice  is  very  similar 
to  that  of  the  Rev.  Daniel  Baker,  in  his  palmiest 
clays.  Mr.  Spurgeon  is  certainly  a  very  great  man. 
He  is  only  23  years  old,  and  is  a  great  prodigy  as 
an  orator.  His  personal  appearance  is  very  pre- 
possessing, while  his  unpretending  address  secures 
the  love  and  admiration  of  all  who  approach  him. 
His  congregation  are  now  building  for  him  an  im- 
mense tabernacle,  that  will  hold  twenty  thousand 
persons.  What  a  great  pity  it  is  that  so  promising  a 
man,  so  truly  eloquent  a  divine,  should  leave  the 
path  the  Saviour  trod,  and  enter  into  the  dirty  pool 
of  abolitionism.  This  has  injured  his  influence 
very  much,  especially  with  Americans,  who  seem 
to  think  that  he  had  better  confine  his  sympathies 
and  his  charities  to  the  overworked  and  emaciated 
white  slaves  of  Manchester  and  Glasgow. 

In  Liverpool  and  Belfast,  particularly  in  Bel- 


80        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  J 

fast,  there  is  preaching  in  the  open  air,  in  the 
streets,  and  on  the  commons,  at  all  times  of  the 
day.  You  are  aware  that  there  is  a  deadly  feud 
between  the  Orangemen  and  the  Romanists  of  Ire- 
land ;  every  year,  at  the  celebration  of  the  battle 
of  the  Boyne,  Belfast  was  in  a  general  row,  and 
many  bloody  heads  and  broken  bones  was  the  con- 
sequence. I  was  told  that  the  revival  in  the  north 
of  Ireland  has  quieted  down  the  turbulent  spirits, 
and  those  who  were  the  greatest  rowdies  have  be- 
come good,  peaceable  citizens. 

My  dear  sir,  I  see  that  I  have  written  you  a 
long  letter,  much  longer  than  I  intended.  I  know, 
however,  that  you  will  appreciate  it,  for  it  comes 
from  one  who  has  always  loved  you. 

I  leave  to-morrow  morning  for  Mont  Blanc  and 
the  vale  of  Chamouni,  thence  to  Basle  down  the 
Rhine  to  Cologne.  I  may  write  you  again  from  the 
"  eternal  city,"  for  I  shall  be  in  Rome  in  ten  days 
from  to-day. 

Yours,  sincerely, 

R.  W.  A. 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS  IN   EUROPE.  81 


LETTER    NO.   XI. 

Vale  of  Chamouni,  Aug.  22. 1859. 

"  Mont  Blanc  is  the  monarch  of  mountains, 
They  crowned  him  long  ago, 
On  a  throne  of  rocks,  in  a  robe  of  clouds, 
With  a  diadem  of  snow." 

Editors  Advocate  : 

From  Geneva,  I  took  diligence,  and  in  ten  hours 
arrived  at  this  place,  passing  through  much  beau- 
tiful Swiss  scenery.  A  few  miles  from  Geneva  we 
passed  the  limits  of  Switzerland,  and  had  to  have 
our  passports  visaed  by  a  Savoyard  armed  with  a 
big  moustache  and  a  long  sword.  Just  as  soon  as 
we  got  fairly  into  the  Alps,  we  met  with  the  most 
disgusting  objects  of  goitre,  exposed,  as  beggars, 
on  the  roadside.  "Women  and  children  seem  to  be 
the  most  afflicted  with  this  terrible  disease. 

After  a  long  drive  and  a  longer  walk  over  hill 

and  mountain,  we  at  last  arrived  in  this  beautiful 

valley,  which  is  indeed  almost  an  Elysium.     To 

the  lover  of  nature  and  nature's  boldest  and  wild- 

4* 


82        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

est  works,  here  is  the  place  to  linger.  Mont  Blanc, 
covered  with  eternal  snow,  lifts  his  proud  and 
haughty  head  far  above  all  other  terrene  objects, 
while  the  Glaciers,  those  wonderful  freaks  of  na- 
ture, are  seen  here  in  all  their  grandeur  and  glory. 
It  is  truly  a  delightful  feeling  on  this  the  22d  day 
of  August,  while  the  sun  is  at  its  meridian,  to  be 
standing  on  a  sea  of  ice.  I  took  a  guide  and  a 
mule,  and  ascended  the  Alps,  until  I  came  to  the 
great  "  Her  de  Glace,"  so  much  spoken  of  by  nat- 
uralists. "With  the  assistance  of  my  guide,  I  crossed 
this  sea  of  ice  with  great  difficulty.  It  is  about  a 
mile  wide  and  fifty  miles  long,  averaging,  as  far  as 
can  be  ascertained,  two  hundred  feet  deep.  Dur- 
ing the  hot  weather  of  summer,  there  is  a  contin- 
ual thawing  of  the  ice  going  on,  and  a  gradual, 
daily  movement  of  the  whole  mass.  From  the 
foot  of  this  Glacier  flows  the  river  Arveyron, 
formed  by  the  melting  of  the  ice.  It  rushes  down 
the  mountain  at  railroad  speed :  so  terrible  is  its 
descent,  that  none  escape  who  are  so  unfortunate 
as  to  fall  therein.  The  ice  of  the  "  Mer  de  Glace  " 
is  pure  white,  tinged  with  blue,  and  is  rent  into 
many  deep  and  perpendicular  crevices,  into  which 
the  water  flows  with  the  sound  of  distant  thunder. 
In  the  upper  portion  of  this  sea  of  ice,  is  what  is 
called  the  "  Jardin."  It  is  a  large  rock  about 
seven  acres  in  extent,  covered  over  with  mosses 
and  lichens,  and  Alpine  flowers,  and  -entirely  sur- 
rounded with  ice.  The  efiect  is  most  beautiful  in- 
deed.    Like  a  green  oasis  in  the  desert,  it  stands 


OR,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  83 

in  the  midst  of  desolation,  inviting  the  traveller  to 
come  and  rest  his  weary  limbs.  If  I  only  pos- 
sessed Aladdin's  lamp,  and  could  summon  to  my 
assistance  some  of  his  strong-armed  genii,  I  would 
immediately  transport  this  "  Mer  de  Glace,"  with 
its  beautiful  "  Jardin,"  to  Baton  Kouge.  Although 
it  might  interfere  somewhat  with  the  business  of 

a 

your  respected  fellow-townsman,  Mr.  Mann,  still,  I 
think  it  would  have  a  tendency  to  keep  your  politi- 
cians cool  for  several  years  to  come,  and  then  there 
would  have  to  be  no  more  extravagant  appropria- 
tions for  the  State  House  grounds,  for  the  Alpine 
flowers  would  supply  the  place  of  those  magnolias. 
One  great  curiosity  about  the  Glaciers  is  this :  they 
create  in  melting,  so  to  speak,  an  artificial  atmos- 
phere, and  exist  near  the  foot  of  the  mountains, 
some  even  at  the  very  base.  Wheat  fields  extend 
up  to  the  very  ice,  and  cattle  graze  up  to  the  Gla- 
ciers, and  often  walk  over  them.  Every  year  some 
village  or  other  is  swept  away  by  an  avalanche. 

The  Savoyards  are  a  quiet,  ignorant,  and  de- 
graded people.  They  furnish  us  with  our  organ- 
grinders.  The  women  here  perform  much  of  the 
manual  labor — they  plough,  cut  wheat,  mow  hay 
and  pack  immense  loads  on  their  heads,  for  I  have 
not  seen  a  cart  or  wagon  as  yet  in  Savoy. 

Tuesday  morning. — You  see  that  I  am  still  travel- 
ling. From  Chamouni  I  went  to  Martigny,  a  dis- 
tance of  twenty -five  miles,  on  a  mule,  over  the  high- 
est and  most  picturesque  portion  of  the  Alps.  The 
road  or  path  in  many  places  is  dug  around  high 


84        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER 


cliffs,  and  through  immense  mountains.  The  head 
swims  in  passing  these  places,  while  even  the  mules 
seem  to  know  the  danger,  and  hug  the  sides  of  the 
mountain  as  close  as  possible.  From  Chamouni  to 
Martigny  the  route  is  only  performed  by  mules,  or 
on  foot.  In  this  neighborhood  is  made  the  delight- 
ful Gruyeres  cheese,  which  is  so  much  sought  after 
in  our  country.  The  cheese-makers  take  their  cows 
to  the  mountains,  and  in  their  chalets  (that  is,  cot- 
tages) far  off  from  human  habitations,  they  make  the 
cheese  during  summer,  and  in  the  fall  bring  it  down 
and  keep  it  till  spring,  when  it  is  ready  for  sale. 
This  cheese  is  very  delicious  here.  We  do  not  get 
the  real  Gruyeres  in  the  United  States.  It  will  not 
bear  exportation.  If  I  can  find  room  in  my  trunk 
on  my  return  home,  I  will  take  you  a  piece  about 
the  size  of  a  grindstone,  (for  they  look  more  like 
grindstones  than  any  thing  else.) 

I  leave  Martigny  this  morning  for  the  Castle  of 
Chillon  and  Lausanne,  thence  back  to  Geneva. 
Adieu.  I  shall  write  you  again  from  the  banks  of 
the  Ehine. 

Yours,  very  truly, 

H.  W.  A. 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUKOPE.  85 


LETTER    NO.   XII. 

Berne.  Capital  of  Switzerland, 
Aug.  25, 1859. 

Editoks  Advocate: 

I  wrote  you  last  from  Martigny.  From  this 
place,  I  took  rail  for  the  Lake  of  Geneva,  going  clown 
the  Rhone  to  its  mouth  at  Bovart.  The  Rhone, 
like  the  Mississippi,  is  yearly  making  land  far  out 
into  the  Lake  ;  already  within  the  memory  of  the 
living,  an  immense  marsh  has  been  formed,  which 
resembles  very  much  the  delta  of  our  great  river. 
The  fishermen  have  a  very  curious  way  of  catching 
fish  in  the  Rhone.  They  wade  into  the  water,  at 
night,  with  a  knife  and  a  water-tight  lamp.  They 
place  the  lamp  under  water,  and  the  trout  will  soon 
follow  it.  As  the  fish  come  up  to  the  surface  of 
the  water,  the  fisherman  kills  them  with  his  knife. 
This  is  no  fish  story,  but  a  veritable  fact. 

Arm  yourselves,  my  dear  sirs,  with  a  good 
butcher  knife  and  a  lantern,  go  to  the  Amite  or 
Lake  Cocodrie,  and  you  will  come  back  perfectly 


86        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  J 

scaly  with  fish.  Tell  our  friend  "W".  S.  Pike,  to 
throw  his  patent  poles,  his  bobs  and  sinkers,  his 
worms  and  flies,  all  to  the  dogs  or  the  d — 1,  and  act 
as  a  sensible  man  should,  and  catch  fish  by  the 
light  of  the  moon  in  a  sensible  way. 

From  Bovart  I  took  steamer,  and  in  an  hour 
was  at  Yevay.  This  is  a  remarkable  place  for 
wines  and  cheese,  also  for  being  near  the  celebrated 
Castle  of  Chillon,  about  which  Lord  Byron  has 
written  one  of  his  most  beautiful  poems.  The  Cas- 
tle still  stands,  and  is  kept  in  good  repair. 

"  Lake  Leman  lies  by  Chillon's  walls, 
A  thousand  feet  in  depth  below, 
Its  massy  waters  meet  and  flow, 
A  double  dungeon  wall  and  wave 
Have  made — and  like  a  living  grave." 

This  castle  was  built  by  one  of  the  kings  of  Sa- 
voy, in  1238,  and  was  long  used  as  a  state  prison, 
where,  among  other  victims,  many  of  the  early 
reformers  were  chained  to  the  seven  huge  columns. 
The  rings  are  still  fast  in  these  columns,  and  the 
damp  pavement  beneath  the  deep  waters  is  worn 
away  by  the  constant  passing  of  the  prisoners.  It 
was  in  this  deep  cell  that  Byron's  ideal  prisoner, 
Bonnivard,  was  chained.  In  his  own  mournful  but 
beautiful  language  he  says  : 

"  And  then  there  was  a  little  isle 
Which  to  my  very  face  did  smile, 

The  only  one  in  view  ; 
A  small  green  isle,  it  seemed  no  more, 
Scarce  broader  than  my  dungeon  floor ; 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  87 

But  in  it  there  were  three  tall  trees, 
And  o'er  it  blew  the  mountain  breeze, 
And  by  it  there  were  waters  flowing, 
And  on  it  there  were  young  flowers  growing 
Of  gentle  breath  and  hue." 

The  description  is  perfect,  for  just  opposite  the 
castle,  and  near  the  mouth  of  the  Rhone,  there  is 
this  pretty  little  isle,  no  larger  than  "  a  dungeon 
floor,"  with  only  three  trees  on  it,  and  covered  with 
flowers.  It  is  much  resorted  to  by  tourists.  On 
one  of  the  columns  of  the  castle  dungeon,  Byron 
has  carved  his  name  ;  Dickens  has  carved  his,  and 
John  Smith,  Bottle  Green  Jones,  etc.,  have  carved 
theirs.  The  Castle  of  Chillon  is  now  used  by  the 
Swiss  as  a  magazine  for  military  stores.  The  Hotel 
Byron  stands  close  by,  and  is  crowded  with  visitors 
during  the  summer. 

Around  Yevay  the  country  is  most  charming. 
Every  foot  of  land  is  planted  in  vines — for  miles 
and  miles  you  see  nothing  but  one  solid  vineyard, 
extending  from  the  lake  upwards  to  the  top  of  the 
mountains.  Here  the  very  best  champagne  is  sold 
at  four  francs  a  bottle,  vm  ordinate  at  half  a  franc 
a  bottle.  From  Yevay  I  went  to  Lausanne — 
stopped  at  the  Hotel  Gibbon.  This  is  quite  a  large 
town,  capital  of  the  Canton  Pays  de  Yaud,  and  is 
remarkable  for  having  been  the  residence  of  the 
great,  historian.  Here  it  was  in  this  hotel  that 
Gibbon  penned  that  history  of  the  Decline  and 
Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire,  which  has  made  his 
name  immortal.  After  finishing  his  great  work  he 
wrote  these  lines  : 


88        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

"  It  was  on  the  day,  or  rather  the  night  of  the  27th  of  June, 
1787,  between  the  hours  of  eleven  and  twelve,  that  I  wrote  the 
last  line  of  the  last  page  in  a  summer-house  in  my  garden. 
After  laying  down  my  pen,  I  took  several  turns  in  a  berceau  or 
covered  walk  of  acacias,  which  commaads  a  prospect  of  the 
country,  the  lake,  and  the  mountains.  The  air  was  temperate, 
the  sky  was  serene,  the  silver  orb  of  the  moon  was  reflected 
from  the  waves,  and  all  nature  was  silent."  • 

The  air  is  still  temperate,  and  the  sky  is  still  se- 
rene, but  Gibbon  is  gone  to  his  long  home — his 
house  has  decayed,  and  but  few  of  the  acacias  are 
left  to  mark  the  spot  'where  he  spent  the  happiest 
days  of  his  life.  Time  will  conquer  all  at  last. 
The  grandeur  and  glory  of  to-day  lies  humbled  in 
the  dust  on  to-morrow,  while  youth  and  beauty  are 
the  constant  food  for  worms. 

Of  all  that  I  have  seen  of  earth,  Mont  Blanc 
alone  defies  Old  Time.  Seated  on  his  throne  of 
granite,  he  shakes  his  snowy  locks  at  all  around 
him,  and  laughs  at  the  petty  wars  of  man.  He 
witnessed  the  crossing  of  the  Alps  by  those  great 
warriors  Hannibal  and  Napoleon.  He  saw  the  fatal 
shaft  as  it  entered  the  heart  of  the  tyrant  Gessler, 
and  he  now  beholds  a  proud  little  republic,  free, 
happy,  and  united. 

From  Lausanne  I  went  up  the  lake,  back  to 
Geneva,  thence  by  rail  to  Lake  Keuchatel,  up  this 
lake  to  the  town  of  jSTeuchatel.  This  is  an  import- 
ant place  in  Switzerland,  and  has  sent  forth  into 
the  world  many  great  men  ;  among  them  Prof. 
Agassiz,  of  Cambridge  College,  Mass  Most  of  the 
watches  sold  in  Geneva  are  manufactured  at  this 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUKOPE.  89 


place.  Here  are  made  the  celebrated  Neuchatel 
cheese  and  Swiss  wine,  very  much  used.  Lake 
Neuchatel  is  very  picturesque,  and  seems  to  be  en- 
circled with  one  immense  vineyard.  It  lies  be- 
tween the  Jura  and  the  Alps,  and  empties  its  beau- 
tiful blue  waters  into  Lake  Blenne,  through  the  river 
Thiele.  Through  this  I  passed — thence  through 
Lake  Bienne — thence  by  rail  again  to  Berne.  Here 
I  called  on  our  Minister,  Mr.  Fay,  was  very  kindly 
treated,  and  had  my  passport  visaed  again.  Berne 
is  a  very  pretty  place,  romantically  located  on  the 
high  banks  of  the  Aar.  It  has  two  fine  old  cathe- 
drals and  a  Federal  Palace.  "  The  palace  is  a  beau- 
tiful building,  just  finished  after  the  Moorish  style 
of  architecture.  On  entering  it,  the  officer,  learn- 
ing that  I  was  from  America,  gave  me  every  atten- 
tion, and  conducted  me  through  every  apartment. 
It  is  neat  and  elegant,  without  any  pretension  of 
show  or  royal  grandeur. 

The  Swiss  are  very  kind  to  Americans,  and  ex- 
press the  warmest  regard  for  our  country.  They 
still  possess  the  same  love  of  liberty  that  their 
fathers  possessed,  and  carry  the  right  of  suffrage 
farther  than  we  do,  allowing  every  male  over  18 
years  of  age  to  vote. 

In  Berne  I  find  clean  streets,  with  numerous 
fountains,  all  representing  hears.  The  bear  is  the 
national  emblem — Bruin  is  even  painted  in  fresco 
in  the  cathedrals. 

The  clock-tower  is  a  great  curiosity.  At  12 
(noon)  a  cock  crows,  and  a  small  army  of  bears, 


90        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

mounted  on  horseback,  march  round,  while  a 
bearded  figure  in  the  centre  marks  the  hours  by- 
opening  and  shutting  his  mouth. 

I  leave  this  evening  for  Zurich,  and  may  take 
a  hand  in  that  celebrated  Congress  that  is  now 
there  assembled.     Adieu. 

Yours  truly, 

H.  W.  A. 


OR,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUROPE.  91 


LETTEK     NO.   XIII. 

Lucerne,  Switzerland,  August  27, 1859. 
Editors  Advocate  : 

I  wrote  you  last  from  Berne,  I  believe.  From 
this  place  I  took  rail  for  Thun,  a  beautiful  place  on 
a  lake  of  the  same  name :  there  I  took  steamer 
across  Lake  Thun  to  Interlaken,  the  most  delight- 
ful watering  place  in  Switzerland.  It  is,  as  its 
name  imports,  between  two  lakes — Lakes  Thun  and 
Brientz,  and  is  frequented  by  all  nations.  The 
English,  however,  seem  to  have  the  predominance 
here.  Lord  Snob  and  Lady  Upstart  can  be  seen 
every  evening  riding  out  in  fine  carriages  with  liv- 
eried servants.  The  empress  dowager  of  Russia  is 
now  here,  where  she  spends  the  summer.  She 
rents  an  entire  hotel,  the  Belvidere,  and  lives  in 
great  style.  From  Interlaken  I  crossed  Lake 
Brientz  to  the  town  of  Brientz — thence  on  mule- 
back  across  the  Alps  to  Lake  Lungern — thence 
down  the  lake  to  Aipnach  on  the  Lake  Lucerne — 


92        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER; 

thence  across  Lake  Lucerne  to  the  town  of  the 
same  name.  The  town  of  Lucerne  is  a  very  pleas- 
ant place  as  a  summer  resort,  having  one  of  the 
very  best  hotels  in  Europe,  the  Switzer-Hof.  Its 
population  is  about  10,000 — all  Catholics  with  a 
very  few  exceptions.  Here  the  Pope's  Nuncio  re- 
sides. Situated  between  the  giant  mountains  Pi- 
latus  and  Regi  and  in  sight  of  the  snow-capped 
Alps,  its  scenery  is  considered  the  very  finest  in 
the  world.  The  town  possesses  several  curiosities 
which  ought  to  be  mentioned.  First,  the  monu- 
ment to  the  Swiss  Guards  who  fell  in  1792,  at  Paris, 
in  defending  the  royal  family  of  France.  The  de- 
sign is  by  Thorwalsden,  and  executed  by  Ahorn. 
It  represents  a  lion  of  colossal  size  wounded  to 
death,  with  a  spear  sticking  in  his  side,  yet  endeav- 
oring in  his  last  gasp  to  protect  from  injury  a  shield 
bearing  the  Jleur-de-lis  of  the  Bourbons,  which  he 
holds  in  his  paws.  The  figure  is  hewn  out  of  the 
living  sandstone  rock,  (on  the  side  of  a  high  cliff,) 
is  28  feet  long  and  18  feet  high,  and  whether  as  a 
tribute  to  fallen  valor  or  as  a  work  of  art,  it  merits 
the  highest  praise.  It  is  the  most  appropriate  mon- 
ument in  Europe.  The  next  thing  of  importance 
in  Lucerne  is  the  style  of  building  or  rather  adorn- 
ing their  bridges — one  of  them  is  adorned  with 
77  fine  paintings  hung  up  in  such  a  manner  "  that 
he  who  runs  may  read."  The  paintings  are  by 
Holbein,  to  represent  the  "  Dance  of  Death." 
Here  death  is  seen  in  77  different  shapes — and  is 
intended  as  a  warning  to  the  living  that  we  all 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  93 

must  die — that  "  in  the  midst  of  life  we  are  in 
death." 

Lucerne  is  quite  a  manufacturing  place.  I  saw 
several  wagon-loads  of  American  cotton  passing 
through  the  streets  from  the  railway  to  the  various 
factories.  On  yesterday  morning,  I  took  a  delight- 
ful trip  up  the  lake  Lucerne,  which  I  found  to  be 
the  most  beautiful  of  all  the  lakes  of  Switzerland 
that  I  have  thus  far  seen.  From  the  town  of  Lu- 
cerne to  the  Bay  of  Uri,  the  lake  seems  a  living 
panorama  of  gardens  and  vineyards — of  green  pas- 
tures and  bright  cottages.  After  passing  the  obe- 
lisk of  Wytenstein,  the  Bay  of  Uri  with  all  its  stu- 
pendous grandeur  bursts  into  view.  It  is  upon 
this,  that  the  superiority  of  the  Lake  of  Lucerne  to 
all  other  lakes  depends.  Vast  mountains  rising  on 
every  side  and  crowned  with  eternal  snows — the 
soft  spots  of  verdant  pastures  scattered  at  their 
feet — the  placid  lake,  unbroken  by  islands  and  al- 
most undisturbed  by  any  signs  of  living  men,  make 
an  impression  which  cannot  be  described.  The 
town  of  Fluelen  is  situated  on  the  Bay  of  Uri  at 
the  head  of  Lake  Lucerne.  Here  is  the  place 
where  William  Tell  shot  the  apple  from  his  son's 
head — and  on  the  very  spot  where  he  stood  is  a 
fountain,  with  the  statue  of  Tell.  On  the  spot 
where  his  son  stood,  or  rather  where  he  was  tied  to 
a  tree,  is  another  fountain,  with  the  statue  of  Gess- 
ler.  The  distance  is  exactly  130  yards,  for  I  stepped 
it  myself,  a  pretty  good  shot  for  a  bow  and  arrow. 
Near  this  place  Tell  was  born,  and  only  two  miles 


94        TEAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER 


below  is  his  chapel,  where  he  leaped  from  the  boat 
during  the  storm,  his  chains  having  been  taken  off. 
The  tyrant  Gessler  landed  soon  after  and  hastened 
home,  but  was  intercepted  by  Tell  and  shot  with 
his  unerring  arrow.  This  chapel  is  in  a  very  ro- 
mantic spot.  At  the  foot  of  it  is  a  perpendicular 
mountain,  while  the  lake  descends  abruptly  to  the 
depth  of  800  feet.  In  the  chapel  are  fresco  paint- 
ings as  large  as  life  of  Tell's  history,  also  of  the 
assembling  of  the  three  patriots  of  Switzerland  at 
the  spring  of  Grutli  just  opposite,  who  first  con- 
ceived the  bold  idea  of  freeing  Switzerland.  These 
are  sacred  spots  to  every  Switzer,  and  like  devout 
Mussulmans  to  Mecca,  they  make  pilgrimages  to  see 
these  sacred  places.  Once  every  year,  on  the  first 
Friday  after  the  Ascension,  mass  is  said  and  a  ser- 
mon is  preached  in  Tell's  chapel ;  the  inhabitants 
on  the  lake  repair  hither  in  boats  and  form  an 
aquatic  procession,  the  like  of  which  can  only  be 
seen  in  Switzerland. 

"  Sweet  Lake  of  Lucerne,  I  now  bid  adieu 
To  your  mountains  of  green  and  your  waters  of  blue ; 
At  the  chapel  of  Tell,  at  Grutli's  bold  spring, 
Thy  maidens  shall  yearly  assemble  and  sing 
The  praises  of  those  who  fell  in  the  cause 
Of  Switzerland's  freedom,  religion,  and  laws." 

I  leave  to-day  for  Zurich,  thence  to  Basle  and 
Baden-Baden.     Adieu. 

Yours  very  truly, 

IT.  W.  A. 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS  LN  EUROPE.  95 


LETTER     NO.   XIV. 

Zurich,  Switzerland,  Hotel  Baur,  1859. 
Editors  Advocate  : 

I  arrived  here  last  evening  late  at  night,  direct 
from  Berne.  Owing  to  the  immense  ranges  of  high 
mountains  all  through  this  country,  I  had  to  go  by 
rail  nearly  to  Basle,  and  then  up  to  Zurich.  I  had 
heard  so  much  of  this  place,  of  its  wealth  and  in- 
telligence, its  classic  renown  and  its  lovely  scene- 
ry, that  I  determined  to  see  it  before  leaving  Switz- 
erland. And  then  again,  many  years  ago,  when  I 
was  a  boy,  I  had  heard  a  beautiful  girl  in  Missis- 
sippi sing,  in  a  truly  captivating  and  languishing 
style,  that  song  which  I  then  thought  was  almost 
angelic  music.  I  mean  "  On  the  banks  of  Zurich's 
sweet  waters."  I  have  not  heard  that  "  boarding- 
school  "  melody  for  many  a  long  year,  but  w>  hen- 
ever  I  think  of  it,  raven  locks,  and  pearly  teeth, 
and  sweet  pouting  lips  and  languishing  eyes,  come 
right  up  before  me  in  all  their  loveliness,  and  cause 
even  at  this  day  a  slight  palpitation  of  the  heart. 


96       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

While  upon  ^the  subject  of  songs,  I  must  tell  you 
of  the  "  Eanz  de  vaches."  I  heard  it  last  night 
for  the  second  time  since  I  have  been  in  Switzer- 
land. I  had  just  retired  to  bed,  and  although  very 
much  fatigued,  after  hearing  this  wild  mountain 
song  I  could  not  sleep  for  hours.  The  thoughts  of 
home,  and  joyous  faces,  and  happy  friends  came 
gushing  up  before  me,  and  seemed  to  oppress  my 
very  soul.  I  give  you  from  a  good  Swiss  author- 
ity, the  following  description  of  this  great  national 
melody,  which  will  be  read  with  much  interest  by 
your  many  readers : 

"  It  is  not  uncommon  to  fine  the  Kanz  de  vaches 
spoken  of  by  persons  unacquainted  with  Switzer- 
land and  the  Alps,  as  a  single  air,  whereas  they 
are  a  class  of  melodies  prevailing  among  and  pe- 
culiar to  the  Alpine  valleys.  Almost  every  valley 
has  an  air  of  its  own,  but  the  original  air  is  said  to 
be  that  of  Appenzell.  Their  effect  in  producing 
home-sickness  in  the  heart  of  the  Swiss  mountain- 
eer, when  heard  in  a  distant  land,  and  the  prohibi- 
tion of  this  music  in  the  Swiss  regiments  in  the 
service  of  France,  on  account  of  the  number  of  de- 
sertions occasioned  by  it,  are  stories  often  repeated 
and  founded  on  fact.  These  national  songs  are 
particularly  wild  in  their  character,  yet  full  of 
melody ;  the  choruses  consist  of  a  few  remarkable 
shrill  notes,  uttered  by  a  peculiar  falsetto  intonation 
in  the  throat.  They  originate  in  the  practice  of 
the  shepherds  on  the  Alps,  of  communicating  with 
one  another  at  the  distance  of  a  mile  or  more,  by 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  U7 

pitching  the  voice  high.  The  name  Panz  de 
vaches  (German,  Kuhreihen)  literally  means  cow- 
rows,  and  is  obviously  derived  from  the  order  in 
which  the  cows  march  home  at  milking  time,  in 
obedience  to  the  shepherd's  call,  communicating 
by  the  voice  or  through  the  Alp  horn,  a  simple 
tube  of  wood  wound  round  with  bark,  five  or  six 
feet  long,  admitting  of  but  slight  modulation,  yet 
very  melodious  when  caught  up  and  prolonged  by 
the  mountain  echoes.  In  some  of  the  remoter  pas- 
toral districts  of  Switzerland,  from  which  the  an- 
cient simplicity  of  manners  is  not  altogether  ban- 
ished, the  Alp  horn  supplies  on  the  higher  pastures 
where  no  church  is  near,  the  place  of  the  vesper 
bell.  The  cow  herd,  posted  on  the  highest  peak,  as 
soon  as  the  sun  has  set,  pours  forth  the  first  four  or 
five  notes  of  the  Psalm,  '  Praise  God  the  Lord.' 
The  same  notes  are  repeated  from  distant  Alps,  and 
all  within  hearing,  uncovering  their  heads  and 
bending  their  knees,  repeat  their  evening  orison ; 
after  which  the  cattle  are  penned  in  their  stalls,  and 
the  shepherds  betake  themselves  to  rest." 

This  description  is  from  high  authority,  and  is 
true  to  the  letter,  but  on  last  night  the  "  Panz  de 
vaches  "  was  most  shamefully  desecrated.  It  was 
sang  with  great  effect  in  the  streets  of  Zurich  by  a 
band  of  rollicking  youth,  who  seemed  to  be  on  a 
general  "  burst."  The  great  Addison  was  much 
surprised  to  find  that  the  little  boys  in  Paris  spoke 
French  !  But  I  confess  that  I  was  not  at  all  as- 
tonished to  see  the  big  hoys  of  Zurich  on  "  a  bend- 


98        TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  J 

er,"  for  the  wine  here  is  very  good,  and  the  lager 
is  really  delicious. 

Zurich,  the  most  important  manufacturing  town 
in  Switzerland,  and  the  capital  of  a  canton,  has  a 
population  of  17,000  inhabitants,  nearly  all  Prot- 
estants. It  is  situated  on  the  north  end  of  Lake 
Zurich,  and  on  the  banks  of  the  Liramatt  River, 
just  where  it  issues  out  of  the  lake.  The  banks  of 
the  lake  and  the  river,  and  all  the  neighboring 
hills,  are  thickly  dotted  over  with  beautiful  houses, 
built  generally  in  the  romantic  Swiss  style.  There 
are  no  very  fine  public  buildings  here.  The  cathe- 
dral, surmounted  by  two  steeples,  is  venerable  for 
its  age,  having  been  built  in  the  10th  century,  and 
is  worthy  of  respect  from  having  been  the  scene  of 
Zwingli's  bold  preachings  of  Reformation.  It  is  a 
massive  Romanesque  edifice,  very  plain  within  and 
without.  The  house  in  which  the  great  Reformer 
himself  lived,  is  still  standing  in  the  Grosse  stadt, 
and  is  an  object  of  general  attraction.  The  next 
church  of  much  interest  is  St.  Peter's.  It  stands 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  Limmatt,  and  had  for  its 
pastor  for  23  years  the  celebrated  Lavater,  the  au- 
thor of  the  renowned  work  on  physiognomy.  This 
divine  met  with  a  melancholy  fate.  On  the  cap- 
ture of  the  town  by  the  French  army,  he  was  shot 
within  a  few  steps  of  his  own  door,  by  a  French 
soldier,  whom  he  had  treated  with  great  kindness 
and  liberality.  A  high  reward  was  offered  by 
Massena,  the  French  general,  for  the  discovery  of 
the  murderer,  but  the  good  Lavater  refused  to  in- 


OR,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  99 


form  against  him.  Lavater  died  on  the  2d  Janu- 
ary, 1801.  His  grave  is  marked  by  a  simple  stone 
in  the  churchyard  of  St.  Anne. 

In  the  Town  Library  are  many  volumes  and 
manuscripts  of  rare  merit.  Among  them  I  saw 
three  Latin  letters  of  Lady  Jane  Grey  to  Bullinger, 
in  a  beautiful,  clear,  and  regular  Jiand  ;  also  Zwin- 
gli's  Greek  Bible,  with  marginal  notes  by  himself. 
Zurich  has  its  university,  which  is  flourishing  very 
well,  but  it  is  as  a  manufacturing  town  that  this 
place  is  chiefly  remarkable.  Silks  and  cottons  are 
here  spun  and  woven  into  all  sorts  of  tissues,  and 
are  the  objects  of  extensive  commerce  with  Italy 
and  Germany.  There  are  also  very  extensive  iron 
foundries  and  machine-shops  here,  where  all  the 
lake  steamers  are  made,  many  being  hauled  across 
the  mountains  on  wagons,  and  then  put  together  at 
their  place  of  destination.  Not  only  are  there 
many  large  manufacturing  establishments  in  Zurich, 
but  I  noticed  all  along  the  lake,  the  brilliant  colors 
of  the  calicoes  exposed  to  the  sun,  by  acres  and 
acres.  Lake  Zurich  is  one  of  the  most  charming 
sheets  of  water  of  mountainous,  romantic  Switzer- 
land. It  is  23  miles  long,  averaging  1  mile  wide, 
and  is  especially  remarkable  for  the  peculiar  soft- 
ness of  its  scenery.  Here  is  none  of  the  wild  and 
savage  grandeur  of  Lake  Lucerne,  nor  is  there  the 
oppressive  stillness  of  the  barren  heaths  of  Loch 
Lomond,  but  the  song  of  the  vine-dresser  and  the 
busy  hum  of  a  thriving  and  industrious  population 
are   heard   in  every  direction.     The  slopes  of  the 


100       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

hills  surrounding  this  beautiful  lake  may  be  called 
one  immense  vineyard.  Here  the  vine  grows  to 
great  perfection,  and  yields  a  very  delicious  wine. 
The  Canton  of  Zurich  may  be  said  to  be  more  hilly 
than  mountainous.  The  grasses,  wheat,  rye,  bar- 
ley, oats,  and  corn  grow  here  very  well,  and  are 
produced  in  large  quantities,  for  the  Swiss  farmers 
are  proverbial  for  their  great  success  in  the  appli- 
cation of  fertilizers. 

The  German  language  is  spoken  here ;  at  Ge- 
neva they  speak  French,  and  in  St.  Gall  and  the 
Grisons  Italian,  or  a  corrupt  Latin  called  Romanish. 
Notwithstanding  these  peculiarities  or  differences 
of  language,  the  Swiss  have  lived  so  long  in  a  state 
of  confederation,  that  they  have  acquired  a  decided 
national  character,  and  may  now  be  considered  as 
forming  a  single  people.  The  surroundings  of  the 
town  of  Zurich  are  really  most  delightful.  In  the 
new  Botanical  Garden  there  is  an  elevated  mound 
called  the  Cat's  Bastion.  Nothing  can  be  more 
charming  than  the  view  at  sunset  from  this  point, 
extending  over  the  smiling  and  populous  shores  of 
the  beautiful  lake,  to  the  distant  peaks  and  glaciers 
of  Glarus  and  of  Uri.  These  become  tinged  with 
the  most  delicate  pink  by  the  distant  rays  of  the 
sun,  and  present-  to  the  enraptured  vision  such  a 
scene  that  no  mortal  painter  could  ever  attempt  to 
imitate.  But  Zurich,  above  all  other  things,  lives 
in  history,  and  will  continue  to  live  as  long  as  his- 
tory is  read,  for  being  the  place  where  the  Refor- 
mation commenced  in  Switzerland.     In  1519  that 


OR,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  101 

bold  and  fearless  man,  Ulric  Zwingli,  began  to  de- 
nounce from  the  pulpit  the  sale  of  indulgences. 
He  denounced  the  immoralities  of  the  times,  and 
necessarily  raised  around  him  a  host  of  vindictive 
enemies.  Like  a  patriot  and  a  hero  he  breasted  the 
storm  for  years.  Civil  war  ensued.  Swiss  met  Swiss 
on  the  bloody  field  of  Cappel,  and  there  this  heroic 
divine  fell,  battle-axe  in  hand,  with  helmet  on,  his 
face  to  his  God  and  his  feet  to  his  foe.  The  char- 
acter of  Ulric  Zwingli  is  one  on  which  the  historian 
delights  to  dwell.  With  the  simplicity  of  a  child 
and'the  piety  of  a  devoted  Christian,  he  possessed 
all  the  learning  of  a  ripe  scholar,  with  the  daring 
courage  of  a  gallant  soldier.  He  died  at  the  early 
age  of  47,  and  was  emphatically  a  heroic  leader  of 
the  "  church  militant." 

While  in  Zurich  I  went  to  church  (Sunday)  and 
heard  a  sermon  in  German,  from  a  distinguished 
professor  in  the  university.  The  tones  of  the  voice 
were  often  guttural,  sometimes  nasal,  but  never 
musical.  Of  course  I  could  not  understand  a  word 
the  man  said,  but  busied  myself  in  noticing  the 
manner  in  which  the  deacons  of  the  church  kept 
the  boys  and  girls  quiet.  There  were  some  three 
or  four  hundred  in  attendance,  and  as  boys  and 
girls  will  do,  they  kept  up  a  constant  "  telegraphic 
snigger  "  with  one  another.  During  service  these 
deacons,  four  in  number,  would  be  always  on  the 
move.  If  a  boy  was  misbehaving,  the  first  thing 
that  would  astonish  his  vision  would  be  the  stern 
face  and  staring  eyes  and  bald  head  of  the  omni- 


102       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

present  deacon.  This  invariably  made  the  young- 
ster "  dry  up,"  and  restored  good  order.  I  com- 
mend this  to  our  own  countrymen,  for  it  is  a  most 
excellent  plan  to  secure  an  orderly  and  quiet  con- 
gregation of  young  people. 

The  Congress  is  now  in  session  here,  at  my 
hotel,  trying  to  fix  up  the  peace  of  Yillafranca. 
Liveried  carriages  are  driving  around,  and  diplo- 
mats are  flitting  about  with  the  usual  number  of 
newsmongers  and  hangers  on,  all  of  which  give 
this  quiet  town  a  decidedly  gay  and  bustling  ap- 
pearance. 

Adieu.  I  leave  this  evening,  and  will  be  to- 
morrow one  of  the  pilgrims  on  the  banks  of  the 
Rhine. 

Yours  truly, 

H.  W.  A. 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS   IN  EUEOFE.  103 


LETTER     NO.   XY. 

Hotel  de  Russie,  Baden-Baden, 
August  31,  1859. 
Editors  Advocate  : 

Gentlemen — I  arrived  at  this  place  on  yester- 
day evening,  and  forthwith  proceeded  to  take  a 
bath,  and  then,  as  a  matter  of  course,  to  bet  a  few 
Napoleon  at  Rouge  et  Noir.  This  is  indeed  a  place 
to  see  sights.  It  is  one  vast  "  omnium  gatherum" 
of  all  creation.  It  seems  to  me  that  all  the  ugly 
women  and  bald-headed  men  in  Europe  have  as- 
sembled here  to  have  a  "  kind  of  a  show  "  of  ugly 
faces  and  bald  heads.  The  Ugly  Club  of  Port 
Hudson  is  nothing  compared  to  Baden-Baden  at  all, 
at  all.  The  visitors  are  principally  Germans  and 
French,  with  a  smart  sprinkle  of  English  and 
Americans.  The  improvements  are  good.  The 
hotels,  about  a  dozen  in  number,  are  very  fine,  with 
the  most  amiable  and  accommodating  landlords. 
The  waters  of  Baden  have  for  centuries  been  vis- 
ited for  their  healing  qualities.  A  spring  almost 
scalding  hot  issues  from  a  mountain,  and  is  con- 


104:       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

ducted  into  an  immense  building  with  marble  col- 
umns and  fresco  paintings,  where  the  visitors 
daily  assemble  to  drink  the  water.  Here  are  long 
galleries  for  promenading  in  rainy  weather. 

But  the  great  feature  of  Baden  is  its  "  conver- 
sation" or  gambling  saloon.  This  is  an  enormous 
palace,  fitted  up  in  the  most  gorgeous  style,  even 
with  oriental  luxuriance.  Here  are  three  large 
tables,  two  Rouge  et  IsToir,  or  "  Trente  et  Quar- 
ante,"  played  with  cards,  and  one  roulette  table. 
Men  and  women,  old  and  young,  assemble  around 
these  tables  at  11  o'clock  every  day,  and  play  with- 
out ceasing  till  one  or  two  at  night.  Every  thing 
is  conducted  in  the  most  quiet  and  peaceable  man- 
ner, the  dealers  and  managers  of  the  game  being 
exceedingly  accurate  and  expert  in  raking  down 
the  winnings  and  paying  the  losses.  I  saw  one 
man  frequently  bet  ten  thousand  francs  "  on  the 
Rouge  "  and  win  it.  Many,  however,  lose  heavily, 
and  render  themselves  miserable  for  life,  often 
committing  suicide.  The  company  who  own  the 
bank,  pays  yearly  $30,000  to  the  civil  authorities 
of  Baden,  and  at  the  same  time  has  to  expend  a 
very  large  amount  to  furnish  the  establishment  and 
keep  the  grounds  in  order.  The  "  lady  gamblers  " 
here  all  have  an  air  of  abandon.  They  wear  straw 
hats  with  feathers ;  some  wear  in  their  hats  the  en- 
tire plumage  of  the  pheasant — all  of  which  gives 
them  a  jaunty,  sharp,  knowing  appearance,  that  is 
rather  unpleasant  to  a  man  of  my  "  retiring  habits 
and  excessive  modesty." 


\ 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUEOPE.         105 

We  had  a  grand  ball  here  to-night,  which  was 
of  course  very  much  crowded.  The  music  was 
most  excellent,  the  band  being  the  Austrian  Impe- 
rial. I  do  not  think  they  dance  as  gracefully  here 
as  we  do  in  Louisiana.  The  Austrian  officers  dance 
well,  but  carry  themselves  in  a  very  stiff  and  un- 
graceful manner.  Their  coat-tails  are  entirely  too 
short,  which  gives  them  the  unpoetic  appearance 
of  "  bobbing  around."  Among  the  ladies  I  saw 
but  few  pretty  ones,  the  eternal  Austrian  pouting 
lips  give  them  a  coarse  appearance — nearly  all 
have  red  or  flaxen  hair,  some  even  have  yellow  hair. 
In  dress  and  style  I  think  our  American  ladies  are 
far  ahead  of  any  thing  I  have  seen  here — and  as  to 
beauty  there  is  no  comparison. 

Baden  is  situated  very  much  like  the  Sweet 
Springs  of  Virginia,  in  a  beautiful  valley.  In  the 
distance  is  the  great  Black  Forest  of  Germany. 
Many  wealthy  persons  have  built  themselves  ele- 
gant cottages  here,  and  come  regularly  every  year 
to  spend  the  summer.  Every  hotel  is  most  beauti- 
fully decorated  with  vines  and  flowers,  while  the 
numerous  walks  over  hill  and  dale  are  truly  invit- 
ing to  all  who  want  delightful  exercise.  On  my 
way  here  I  stopped  and  spent  a  night  in  Stras- 
bourg. Early  in  the  morning  I  climbed  to  the  top 
of  the  Cathedral,  and  took  a  good  view  of  France, 
Switzerland,  and  Germany,  then  went  back  to  my 
hotel,  and  ordered  for  breakfast  a  Strasbourg  pie. 

Last  Sunday  I  spent  "  on  the  banks  of  Zurich's 
sweet  waters."     After  going  to  church  I  took  an 
5* 


106       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

excursion  bv  steamer,  to  the  head  of  Lake  Zurich. 
It  is  a  charming  lake,  and  very  thickly  settled.  It 
appears  to  be  a  continued  village  from  one  end  of 
the  lake  to  the  other,  while  every  foot  of  land 
seems  to  be  planted  in  vines.  Zurich  is  celebrated 
for  having  been  the  residence  of  the  great  reformer 
Zwingli,  and  the  learned  Lavater.  They  both  died 
violent  deaths — Zwingli  was  killed  in  battle,  and 
Lavater  was  assassinated  by  a  French  soldier  under 
Massena,  during  the  battle  of  Zurich,  in  1799.  Zu- 
rich is  the  most  enterprising  and  flourishing  of  all 
the  Swiss  Cantons.  Here  are  extensive  manufac- 
tories of  silk  and  cotton  goods,  while  the  wines 
are  very  good.  The  library  contains  many  old  and 
interesting  manuscripts.  The  arsenal  is  much  re- 
sorted to,  to  see  the  identical  cross-bow  with  which 
William  Tell  shot  the  apple  from  his  son's  head. 
The  Congress  of  the  three  powers,  France, 
Austria,  and  Sardinia,  is  still  in  session  in  Zurich. 
They  go  very  quietly  to  work,  and  discuss  the  af- 
fairs of  Italy  with  closed  doors.  It  is  generally 
believed  that  its  conclusions  will  be  acquiesced  in 
by  all  parties,  and  that  peace  and  quiet  will  once 
more  be  restored. 

Yours  very  truly, 

H.  W.  A. 


OB,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUKOPE.  107 


LETTER    NO.   XVI. 

Hotel  de  la  Rose, 
Wiesbaden,  Germany,  Sept.  3.  1859. 

Editoes  Advocate  : 

Gentlemen — I  arrived  here  last  evening  from 
Frankfort-on-the-Main.  The  whole  of  Germany 
lies  as  it  were  "  in  a  heap."  Our  friend,  N.  W. 
Pope,  Esq.,  could  take  his  cane  and  walk  around 
one  of  their  Duchies  before  breakfast.  The  city 
of  Frankfort  is  a  very  pretty  place,  well  located  on 
the  Main,  and  is  one  of  the  four  free  cities  of  Ger- 
many. It  is  a  very  old  city,  and  has  for  many 
years  been  the  centre  of  capital  and  money  lend- 
ers, stocks,  and  stock-jobbers.  Here  the  Roths- 
childs were  born,  and  here  they  made  the  begin- 
ning of  their  immense  fortune.  This  is  also  a  kind 
of  entrepot  for  central  Europe,  receiving  the  pro- 
ductions and  manufactures  of  all  parts  of  the  world, 
to  be  distributed  in  detail  over  the  whole  continent. 
Here  are  also  many  works  of  art.  In  a  small  mu- 
seum built  of  marble  and  shaped  like  a  Grecian 


108       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

temple,  not  like  that  built  by  our  friend  Moise,  is 
the  celebrated  statue  of  "  Ariadne  by  Dannecker." 
I  have  seen  nothing  in  all  my  travels  equal  to  it. 
It  is  very  properly  the  boast  of  Frankfort,  and 
draws  crowds  of  visitors  from  all  parts  of  Europe 
to  see  it.  The  statue  is  life-like — Ariadne  is  seated 
on  a  lioness,  in  a  nude  state.  The  features  are  af- 
ter the  highest  order  of  classic  art,  while  the  body 
and  limbs  have  all  the  luxurious  plumpness  of  the 
Yenus  de  Medicis. 

In  the  Stadel  Museum  of  pictures  are  some 
very  fine  paintings.  Among  them  are  two  by 
Lessing,  "  the  trial  of  John  Hubs,"  and  the  "  "Wise 
and  Foolish  Virgins,"  most  admirable  paintings. 
Frankfort  was  the  birthplace  of  the  great  poet 
Goethe,  and  in  one  of  the  public  squares  stands  his 
colossal  statue  by  Schwantholar  of  Munich.  Here 
also  the  celebrated  Martin  Luther,  the  great  Ke- 
former,  lived.  On  his  house  there  is  the  following 
Latin  inscription:  "In  silentio  et  spe  erit  fortitudo 
vestra." 

The  Jews  are  very  numerous  here,  and  com- 
mand great  influence  as  merchants  and  bankers. 
The  Jewish  maidens  are  very  pretty,  much  the 
prettiest  ladies  that  I  have  seen  in  all  Germany. 
Their  dark  hair,  the  cold  black  liquid  eye,  the  pen- 
sive but  sweet  face,  bring  back  to  my  mind  the 
Kebecca  of  Ivanhoe  so  beautifully  described  by 
Sir  Walter  Scott. 

From  Frankfort  to  this  place,  Wiesbaden,  you 
pass  through  the  small  village  of  Hockheim,  where 


OR,  SIX   MOKTHS   IN    EUROPE.  109 

the  excellent  wine  of  that  name  is  made.  It  be- 
longs to  the  Duke  of  Nassau,  and  yields  him  a 
large  revenue  in  wines.  The  Rhine  wines  are  very 
line  and  exceedingly  cheap.  For  instance  you  get 
a  bottle  of  best  Ilockheimer  here  for  two  florins — 
that  is  about  80  cents — while  the  Yin  Ordinaire  of 
the  country — very  good  table  wine,  and  pure — can 
be  had  for  10  cents  a  bottle. 

Wiesbaden  is  the  capital  of  the  Duchy  of  Nas- 
sau, and  is  the  residence  of  the  duke.  It  is  re- 
markable for  its  hot  baths,  and  is  a  great  watering 
place  on  the  same  'style  as  Baden-Baden.  It  is 
more  frequented  than  any  of  the  other  German 
watering  places,  and  may  be  called  the  Saratoga 
of  this  country.  The  Kursaal  or  gambling  saloons 
are  fitted  up  here  with  the  most  utter  contempt  of 
expense.  It  comes  nearer  the  Pre  Catalan  at  Paris 
than  any  other  place  I  have  yet  seen.  Here  are  col- 
onades  for  walking  in  rainy  weather,  half  a  mile 
long,  with  fountains  and  flowers,  serpentine  walks 
up  the  mountains,  and  fishing  in  the  Rhine.  The 
gambling  saloons  are  gorgeous  in  the  extreme. 
There  are  six  tables  of  Rouge  et  Noir.  Around 
them  an  eager  and  impatient  crowd  is  continually 
pressing  to  get  an  opportunity  to  lose  their  money. 
I  saw  an  old,  paralytic,  gray-headed  sinner,  with, 
one  foot  in  the  grave,  betting  with  all  the  eagerness 
of  a  youth  of  nineteen.  By  his  side  stood  a  beau- 
tiful girl,  seemingly  not  over  seventeen,  with  jew- 
elled fingers  placing  handfuls  of  Napoleons  "  on 
the  Rouge." 


110       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

The  Duke  of  Nassau  receives  yearly  the  large 
sum  of  43,000  florins  for  the  license  of  this  estab- 
lishment, but  at  the  same  time  prohibits  by  very 
severe  penalties  any  of  his  subjects  from  betting  at 
the  banking  games  of  "Wiesbaden.  He  invites  all 
foreigners  to  come  and  bet  and  spend  their  money 
freely,  but  will  not  permit  his  own  people  to  do  the 
same.     "Wise  man  that  Duke  ! 

In  going  to  Frankfort  I  passed  Heidelberg,  where 
I  spent  several  hours — visited  the  castle  and  the 
university,  and  took  a  delightful  ride  up  the  Neckar. 
The  university  has  700  students.  Here  you  will 
recollect  Jenny  Lind  was  received  in  great  state, 
and  the  hospitality  of  Heidelberg  presented  to  her 
in  a  "  tobacco  box." 

Sunday  Morning,  Cologne,  Prussia. 

Not  having  an  opportunity  of  closing  my  letter 
at  "Wiesbaden  on  yesterday,  I  have  deferred  it  till 
to-day.  I  took  steamer  yesterday  morning  at  Bi- 
berich  (the  port  for  "Wiesbaden)  and  arrived  at 
this  place  last  night. 

The  Rhine  is  a  beautiful  stream,  about  the  size 
of  Red  River.  It  is  very  shallow  in  many  places, 
and  causes  much  delay  in  navigation  during  low 
water.  Still  up  as  high  as  Mayence  small  boats 
make  regular  trips.  The  great  beaut}7  of  the  Rhine 
scenery  is  the  numerous  castles  which  stud  its 
banks,  many  of  them  now  in  YQry  good  repair. 
The  vine  is  also  here  in  the  highest  state  of  culti- 
vation.    I  noticed  in  passing  many  high  cliffs,  that 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUROPE.         Ill 


large  baskets  of  earth  were  suspended  and  vines 
planted  in  them.  A  few  miles  from  Mayence  and 
near  the  village  of  Oestrich,  is  the  celebrated 
chateau  of  Prince  Metternich,  called  Johannisberg, 
of  which  you  have  often  heard  so  much. 

From  this  vineyard  comes  the  far-famed  Johan- 
nisberger  wine,  very  much  in  demand  with  us. 
The  chateau  and  vineyard  are  on  the  top  of  a  high 
hill — a  most  romantic  location.  The  vineyard  con- 
tains only  70  acres,  and  averages  about  160  casks 
per  year.  Thus  you  see  we  can't  possibly  get 
much  from  Johannisberg.  The  best  of  these 
wines  are  put  away  in  the  large  cellars  of  the 
chateau,  and  the  rest  sold  to  whoever  may  wish  to 
buy  them.  A  few  miles  above,  nearly  adjoining, 
is  the  Steinberg  chateau,  where  the  Stein  wines  are 
made,  almost  equal  to  the  Johannisberg.  Thus,  all 
along  the  Rhine  are  different  chateaus,  where  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  Rhine  wines  are  made.  I  find, 
however,  that  the  great  majority  of  wines  shipped 
to  our  country  are  bought  up  by  the  wholesale 
merchant,  who  mixes  them  (all  pure  wines)  to  suit 
color  and  taste — bottles  and  labels,  and  ships  them 
abroad.  It  is  very  seldom,  indeed,  that  a  real  pure 
bottle  of  Johannisberg  wine  reaches  America. 
The  wine  may  be  the  pure  juice  of  the  grape,  but 
not  from  the  Chateau  Johannisberg. 

Everybody  talks  Dutch  here.  A  few  moments 
ago  a  chubby-faced,  red-cheeked  chambermaid 
came  into  my  room  with  a  pitcher  of  hot  water — 
for  there  being  no  barbers  here,  every  man  shaves 


112       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

himself:  says  I,  "  Parlez  vons  Tangle?"  Said 
she,  "  Yaw,  hot  wather."  "  D — n  it,"  says  I,  "  do 
you  speak  English  ?  "  "  Yaw,  yaw — goot  hot  wa- 
ther ! " 

I  had  read  Bulwer's  Pilgrims  of  the  Rhine,  and 
remembered  Byron's  description  : 

"  The  castled  crags  of  Drachenfels 
Frown  o'er  the  wide  and  winding  Rhine, 
Whose  breast  of  waters  breadly  swells 
Between  the  banks  which  bear  the  vine, 
And  peasant  girls  with  deep  blue  eyes 
Walk  smilingly  o'er  this  Paradise" — 

but  must  confess  that  I  am  disappointed.  To  one 
fresh  from  the  wild  scenes  of  Switzerland  the 
Phine  is  tame  and  spiritless.  There  is  much  beau- 
ty, but  little  grandeur.  The  villages  are  pictur- 
esque, the  castles  interesting,  as  evidences  of  feu- 
dal power,  and  the  river  is  a  quiet  tranquil  stream 
of  a  pale  green  color,  just  such  scenery  as  would 
please  a  love-sick  maiden.  But  the  grandeur  of 
Mount  Blanc  is  wanting — the  rugged  precipices  of 
the  Bay  of  Uri — the  lofty  mountains  of  Loch  Lo- 
mond— even  the  Trosachs  of  Lake  Katrine,  are  all 
far  more  sublime  than  any  thing  on  the  Phine. 
Still  tourists  run  crazy  over  the  Phine. 

On  the  steamer  coming  down,  were  about  1,001 
men  and  women,  all  with  guide-books,  and  sketch- 
books, knapsacks  and  carpet-bags,  and  all  "  Pil- 
grims of  the  Rhine,"  determined  to  be  charmed, 
determined  to  be  delighted,  determined  to  be  en- 
raptured.    Says  Miss  Araminta  Horsefly,  (a  Ian- 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN    EUROPE.  113 

guishing  maid  of  sixteen,)  "  O  mamma !  do  look  at 
that  nice  old  castle.  Isn't  it  a  love  of  a  thing?" 
Lady  Penelope  Penfeather,  (a  very  spiritudle 
widow,)  "  Oh,  yes,  it  is  charming — b-e-a-u-t-i-ful." 
There  is  a  legend  about  the  seven  sisters  who  lived 
in  that  castle.  A  huge  Dutchman  here  chimes  in, 
"  Yah,  dat  ish  goot,"  while  an  English  cockney, 
with  a  glass  screwed  into  his  eye,  drawls  out,  "  Yas, 
dem  foin."  I  am  sick  of  the  Rhine.  The  boats 
are  small  and  miserably  constructed.  In  case  it 
rains,  unless  you  have  an  umbrella,  you  had  better 
jump  into  the  river  at  once  in  order  to  keep  from 
getting  wet. 

On  landing  here,  every  thing  is  in  confusion. 
Everybody  is  in  everybody's  way,  keeping  every- 
body as  long  as  possible  from  getting  everybody's 
baggage.  If  our  friend  Capt.  Cotton  would  only 
run  the  Kenner  or  the  Capitol  up  the  Rhine  with 
the  stars  and  stripes,  and  learn  these  people  some- 
thing about  the  comforts  and  luxuries  of  an  Amer- 
ican steamer,  I  verily  believe  the  travelling  public 
would  build  him  a  monument  on  the  "  castled  crags 
of  Drachenfels." 

Adieu.  I  am  off  to-night  for  Brussels  and  the 
field  of  Waterloo. 

H.  W.  A. 


114       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 


LETTER     NO.   XYII. 

Hotel  Rubens,  Antwerp,  Belgium, 
September  6, 1859. 

Editors  Advocate  : 

Gentlemen — I  arrived  at  this  place  last  night, 
and  have  spent  the  day  in  visiting  the  various 
churches,  and  studying  the  paintings  of  the  great 
Rubens.  This  city  was  his  home,  and  here  are  to 
be  found  his  great  master-pieces.  In  the  Cathe- 
dral of  Notre  Dame  is  his  "  Descent  from  the 
Cross,"  and  "  The  Crucifixion."  The  last  is  con- 
sidered by  artists  to  be  one  of  the  best  paintings  in 
the  world.  For  great  agony  of  expression  in  the 
dying  thief,  there  is  nothing  like  it.  It  is  terribly 
frightful,  so  much  so,  that  you  involuntarily  turn 
from  it  with  a  shudder.  Rubens  is  almost  deified 
in  Belgium,  and  particularly  in  Antwerp.  The 
Church  of  St.  Jaccmes  is  the  richest  in  marble 
sculpture  and  statuary  of  any  in  Belgium.  Here 
is  to  be  seen  the  altar-piece  of  Carrara  marble 
brought  by  Rubens  from  Italy.     In  the  museum 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS    IN    EUROPE.  115 

are  thirteen  more  of  his  paintings,  all  of  them  con- 
sidered as  great  treasures,  and  which  no  money 
could  buy.  Here  are  also  six  original  paintings  by 
Van  Dyck,  most  excellent  specimens  of  this  great 
master.  He  excels  in  portraits,  while  Rubens' 
great  forte  was  in  representing  the  dead  body  and 
the  agony  of  the  dying.  When  Napoleon  took 
Belgium,  the  first  thing  he  did  was  to  seize  these 
paintings,  and  carry  them  off  to  Paris,  but  after 
the  battle  of  Waterloo,  they  were  brought  back 
and  restored  to  their  lawful  owners.  There  are  a 
great  many  private  galleries  of  most  excellent 
paintings  in  Antwerp,  all  rich  in  the  works  of  the 
old  masters.  It  seems  that  the  moderns  have  lost 
the  art  (or  rather  have  never  found  it)  of  great  con- 
ception in  painting — they  also  fail  in  the  coloring. 
ISTo  modern  artist  has  ever  equalled  the  rich  color- 
ing of  Rembrandt  and  Rubens,  or  the  soft,  silky 
touch  of  Murillo  and  Raphael. 

The  works  of  art  are  so  rich  and  numerous  in 
Antwerp,  that  a  traveller  could  stay  here  for  months. 
In  the  Church  of  St.  Paul  are  the  finest  specimens 
of  carving  in  oak — the  pulpit  is  a  wonderful  tri- 
umph of  a  Jesuit's  chisel.  It  represents  Christ 
meeting  the  fishermen  Peter  and  Andrew,  all  full 
size.  The  nets  and  fishes,  the  rocks  and  waves, 
the  attitude  of  the  fishermen,  and  the  expression  of 
the  features  of  the  Saviour,  all  are  wonderfully 
given.  In  the  museum  of  paintings  is  a  very  large 
painting  by  Frans  Floris,  (Flemish  school,)  called 
'•The  Descent  of  the  Fallen  Angels."   On  one  of  these 


116       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  J 

individuals  is  painted  a  large  fly,  and  it  is  so  nat- 
ural that  hundreds  have  attempted,  in  passing,  to 
"  brush  away  that  blue-tail  fly."  Attached  to  this 
same  church  is  the  representation  of  Mount  Cal- 
vary, a  very  striking  thing.  An  artificial  hill  is 
made  of  rock,  and  a  crucifix  with  the  Saviour 
placed  on  it.  About  100  fine  statues  surround  it. 
Death  and  the  Serpent  lie  conquered  at  the  foot  of 
the  cross. 

Antwerp  is  quite  a  large  place,  having  about 
120,000  inhabitants.  It  is  the  commercial  empo- 
rium of  Belgium.  Here  are  fine  docks  for  ship- 
ping, and  hundreds  of  sail  and  steamships  leave 
here  for  all  parts  of  the  world.  There  is  a  fine  line 
of  steamers  to  New  York. 

The  Scheldt  is  a  quiet,  sluggish  river,  very  deep, 
and  affords  good  navigation  for  the  largest  size 
vessels.  The  banks  of  the  river  are  low,  and  the 
levees  are  high,  which  reminds  me  very  much  of 
the  latitude  of  West  Baton  Rouge.  I  am  now  in 
the  land  of  cabbages  and  wooden  shoes.  All  the 
lower  classes  wear  the  sabot  or  clog,  and  such  a 
pattering  along  the  streets  you  never  did  hear. 
Still  they  all  seem  happy,  and  well-fed  and  con- 
tented. There  are  no  beggars  here,  and  but  few 
loafers.  The  women  are  generally  stout  and  strong, 
and  work  in  the  fields,  and  even  on  the  railroad  as 
laborers. 

While  at  Cologne  the  other  day,  I  visited  the 
Church  of  St.  Ursula,  where  I  saw  the  bones  of 
the  11,000  virgins  who  were  murdered  there  by 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  117 

the  Huns  under  Attila.  I  think  I  could  have  put 
those  11,000  virgins  to  a  better  use.  I  never  saw 
such  a  "  pile  of  bones  "  before.  They  are  placed 
in  every  conceivable  shape — they  are  even  nailed 
up  against  the  walls  in  the  form  of  letters,  and  the 
name  of  many  a  saint  is  spelled  in  hones.  In  Co- 
logne is  the  great  Cathedral,  the  most  remarkable 
perhaps  in  the  world.  It  is  now  the  largest,  and 
its  steeples,  when  completed,  will  be  the  tallest. 
In  its  immense  aisles  you  are  completely  lost.  I 
visited  the  Cathedral  during  high  mass,  and  was 
very  much  entertained  with  the  fine  music.  There 
is  a  huge  organ,  and  also  a  full  band  of  instru* 
mental  music,  with  a  large  number  of  singers,  male 
and  female. 

A  magnificent  iron  bridge  has  just  been  built 
over  the  Khine  at  this  place. 

From  Cologne  I  passed  on  to  Aix-la-Chapelle. 
This  is  quite  a  city  for  summer  resort.  It  contains 
hot  springs  and  baths,  which  are  much  used  by  the 
people  of  Belgium.  It  also  contains  the  cathedral 
in  which  was  buried  Charlemagne.  His  head  and 
arms  and  legs  (that  is  the  bones)  are  still  preserved 
in  gold  cases.  Also  are  seen  in  this  cathedral  the 
many  very  valuable  relics  presented  to  Charle- 
magne by  Harun  al  Raschid,  the  mighty  Sultan. 
The  sultan  and  Charlemagne  were  great  friends, 
and  their  mutual  admiration  for  each  other  seems 
to  have  been  only  equalled  by  their  great  liberal- 
ity. The  sultan  sends  his  imperial  brother  a  piece 
of  the  true  cross,  a  thorn  from,  the  crown,  and  the 


118       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  J 

veritable  girdle  of  the  Saviour — all  of  these  are  set 
in  gold  and  precious  stones,  making  the  most 
splendid  array  of  barbaric  magnificence  I  ever 
saw. 

From  Aix  I  went  to  Brussels,  where  I  spent 
yesterday.  Brussels  is  a  very  American-looking 
place,  with  nice  streets  and  fine  parks.  It  is  full 
of  monuments  and  statues,  some  of  them  very  fine. 
It  also  has  the  fine  manufactories  of  lace,  for  which 
it  is  more  particularly  known  by  the  ladies  of  our 
country.  I  visited  the  factories,  and  saw  the  most 
beautiful  articles  being  made.  It  is  all  done  by 
hand.  The  thread  is  made  at  Yalenciennes  from 
the  common  flax,  and  sells  for  more  than  its 
weight  in  gold. 

But  Brussels  is  close  to  Waterloo,  and  hence 
thousands  visit  it  to  see  the  great  battle-field  where 
the  giants  fought.  The  village  of  Waterloo  is 
twelve  miles  from  Brussels,  and  lies  in  a  beautiful 
rolling  country,  well  suited  for  a  great  battle.  On 
the  battle-field  is  a  huge  mound  of  earth  225  feet 
high,  and  surmounted  by  an  immense  stone  statue 
of  the  Belgic  Lion,  who  looks  towards  France  with 
a  bold  and  triumphant  look.  This  statue  is  partic- 
ularly offensive  to  all  Frenchman.  Indeed,  a 
Frenchman  seldom  comes  to  Waterloo.  In  1830, 
when  the  French  troops  were  marching  through 
Brussels  on  to  Holland,  a  French  soldier  went  up 
to  the  lion  on  the  Waterloo  monument,  and  broke 
his  majesty'' s  tail  into  three  pieces !  He  was  de- 
tected in  attempting  to  blow  up  the  whole  concern, 


OR,  SIX   MONTHS    IN   EUROPE.  119 

and  arrested  by  the  authorities,  who  keep  a  guard 
there  now  to  protect  it. 

The  Belgians  speak  French.  It  is  their  national 
language.  I  attended  the  sitting  of  the  Senate, 
which  is  now  in  session,  and  heard  several  speeches, 
all  in  French.  They  read  their  speeches,  as  many 
of  our  senators  do,  hut  do  not  imitate  the  Ameri- 
cans in  length,  theirs  being  always  very  short. 

The  Hague,  Holland,  Sept.  8. 
I  could  not  close  my  letter  at  Antwerp,  but 
came  on  by  railway  to  Delft,  and  thence  by  steamer 
to  Rotterdam — thence  to  this  place.  Delft  is  an 
ancient  place.  "We  know  it  in  our  country  princi- 
pally from  its  giving  the  name  to  our  common 
earthenware.  The  extensive  manufacture  of  pot- 
tery has  in  a  great  measure  ceased.  Here  Grotius, 
the  great  law  writer,  was  born.  Also  here  William 
I.,  Prince  of  Orange,  was  assassinated.  A  few 
miles  farther  on  is  Rotterdam,  the  second  city  in 
Holland.  It  is  a  queer-looking  place.  Every 
street  has  its  canal.  Boats,  even  large  ships,  are 
seen  in  the  very  heart  of  the  city.  The  dogs  here 
take  the  place  of  horses,  and  it  is  astonishing  what 
immense  loads  they  can  pull.  The  whole  country 
is  much  lower  than  the  sea — protected  by  immense 
levees  or  dykes,  as  they  call  them  here.  Dogs, 
dykes,  and  windmills  are  great  institutions  in  Hol- 
land. Still  the  women  are  pretty,  right  down 
pretty.  They  all  look  fresh  and  clean,  and  healthy. 
True  tliev  have  broad  flat  feet  and  round  chubbv 


120       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

faces,  and  can't  say  a  word,  but  the  eternal  yaw — 
yaw — still,  I  like  the  Dutch  gals. 

Adieu,  my  dear  sirs.  I  leave  to-day  for  the 
mouth  of  the  Rhine,  to  examine  the  huge  locks  and 
dams  that  the  Dutch  engineers  have  built,  in  order 
to  scour  out  the  channel  of  this  great  European 
Mississippi. 

Truly  yours, 
H.  W.A 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUKOPE.  121 


LETTER     NO.    XYIII. 

Amsterdam,  Holland,  Sept.  9,  1859. 
Editors  Advocate  :  — - 

I  have  just  finished,  after  a  hard  day's  labor, 
the  examination  of  the  locks  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Rhine,  and  the  huge  pumps  or  water-works  at 
Haarlem  Lake.  They  are  both  immense  works, 
and  to  a  Louisianian  full  of  interest.  The  locks 
were  finished  under  the  reign  of  Louis  Bonaparte ; 
since  the  restoration,  however,  the  very  name  of 
Bonaparte  has  been  erased,  and  the  chief  engi- 
neer's placed  in  its  stead.  For  many  centuries  the 
Rhine,  in  emptying  its  waters  into  the  North  Sea, 
had  overflowed  an  immense  country  at  its  mouth ; 
just  as  the  Mississippi  does  at  present.  The  Dutch 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  best  to  tap  the 
Rhine  near  its  mouth,  and  thus  let  off  its  surplus 
waters,  and  at  the  same  time  carry  off  the  rain- 
water which  was  doing  them  great  damage.  For 
this  purpose  they  have  dug  a  huge  canal,  and  con- 
structed three  locks  across  it,  which  opens  to  the 


122       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  \ 

Rhine  and  shuts  against  the  sea.  "When  the  tide 
is  high  the  gates  are  shut,  when  it  is  low  they  are 
open.  This  canal  is  300  feet  wide,  and  20  feet 
deep,  and  25  miles  long ! 

But  the  great  work  of  Holland  is  the  reclaiming 
of  Haarlem  Lake.  This  was  a  lake  of  water  20 
miles  long,  and  containing  an  area  of  45,000  acres. 
They  went  to  work  and  built  a  levee  around  this 
lake  15  feet  high,  and  then  started  three  huge 
draining  machines,  each  machine  working  eleven 
monster  pumps,  six  feet  in  diameter  !  They  kept 
all  these  pumps  going  for  four  years,  when  the 
very  bottom  of  the  lake  became  dry  land.  The 
land  was  sold  at  a  very  high  price,  and  the  drain- 
ing machines  are  still  kept  up  at  an  annual  tax  of 
about  50  cents  per  acre.  It  is  now  a  rich  and 
flourishing  country,  with  handsome  dwellings  and 
splendid  farms,  where  the  salt  sea  once  remained 
supreme.  From  the  tower  or  observatory  of  the 
huge  draining  machine,  you  can  see  almost  to  Am- 
sterdam, a  distance  of  30  miles.  Land  that  was 
once  covered  with  water,  is  now  worth  500  guilders 
per  acre,  while  smiling  plenty  is  seen  on  every 
hand.  The  soil  reclaimed  is  peculiarly  rich,  and 
commands  a  much  higher  price  than  other  lands. 

Last  night  I  spent  in  the  Hague.  It  is  the  cap- 
ital of  Holland,  and  full  of  interesting  reminis- 
cences. The  streets  are  narrow  but  clean,  and  the 
houses  generally  built  of  brick,  covered  with  the 
Dutch  tile.  The  churches  of  Holland  have  all 
been    stripped    of    their    paintings    and   statuary. 


OK,  SIX    MONTHS    IN    EUROPE.  123 

They  present  cold,  damp  Avails,  and  remind  one  of 
the  days  of  William  of  Orange. 

I  stopped  to-day  at  Leyden,  and  spent  the  day. 
In  the  town-hall  are  many  fine  paintings,  one 
particularly  that  is  known  to  history.  It  is  "The 
Last  Judgment,"  by  Lucas  of  Leyden,  over  four 
hundred  years  old,  and  still  the  coloring  is  good, 
and  the  painting  considered  one  of  the  very  best  of 
the  old  masters.  In  this  great  painting,  hell  is 
represented  on  the  left,  and  a  legion  of  devils  are 
engaged  in  pulling  and  driving  the  wicked  into 
eternal  torment,  while  a  huge  devil  is  pushing  a 
beautiful  woman  into  the  mouth  of  the  fiery  dragon, 
with  a  pitchfork.  The  burgomaster  of  the  town 
was  very  polite,  and  opened  the  doors  of  the  gal- 
leries without  pay  or  reward.  This  is  the  first  col- 
lection of  paintings  that  I  have  seen  in  Europe 
without  paying  for  it. 

The  Dutch  are  a  very  persevering,  industrious 
people.  The  ride  from  the  Hague  to  Leyden  is  a 
delightful  one.  You  pass  through  an  immense  for- 
est, all  planted  by  the  present  generation,  and  since 
the  land  has  been  reclaimed  from  the  sea.  There 
are  also  many  very  elegant  private  residences,  sur- 
rounded with  flowers  and  fountains,  and  all  that 
art  could  suggest  or  wealth  buy. 

Amsterdam  is  a  large  city  ;  it  has  over  200,000 
inhabitants.  Here  are  all  nations  of  the  world  as- 
sembled. It  is  the  northern  Venice  of  Europe. 
Hundreds  of  families  live  in  boats  and  die  in  boats. 
The  streets  are  like  Rotterdam,  that  is,  a  canal  for 


124:       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAK  PLANTER; 

every  street.  The  Jews  are  very  numerous,  and 
have  great  influence  as  bankers  and  jewellers. 
This  is  the  only  city  that  manufactures  the  smalt 
used  so  extensively  in  painting  on  porcelain  ;  also 
borax  is  very  extensively  made  here.  Here  also 
are  the  lapidaries,  who  grind  the  precious  stones 
and  cut  the  diamonds.  In  the  museum  are  many 
fine  paintings  ;  among  them  is  one  by  Vander 
Heist,  called  "  The  Miracle  of  Holland."  It  is  a 
very  large  painting,  containing  twenty-five  por- 
traits, all  true  to  life,  and  most  admirably  done. 
These  are  considered  by  artists  to  be  the  best  por- 
traits in  the  world.  The  palace  is  an  immense 
building,  and  is  the  spring  residence  of  the  king. 
It  is  finished  in  the  most  gorgeous  and  elaborate 
style  with  marble  carvings.  The  ball-room  is  180 
feet  long  and  90  feet  wide,  and  100  feet  to  the  ceil- 
ing. The  entire  room,  sides,  roof,  floor,  and  all, 
is  composed  of  pure  Carrara  marble.  Well  may 
the  Dutch  be  proud  of  this,  their  greatest  work  of 
art,  for  there  is  nothing  superior  to  it  in  all  Eu- 
rope. 

The  cholera  has  been  very  fatal  of  late  in  Bel- 
gium and  Holland,  and  has  carried  off  hundreds 
and  thousands  of  all  classes. 

To  a  Louisianian,  Holland  is  an  exceedingly  in- 
teresting country.  Here  you  find  a  people,  who 
for  centuries  have  been  fighting  great  battles 
against  their  greatest  enemy,  the  sea.  They  have 
often  suffered  very  much,  occasionally  whole  vil- 
lages being  swept  away.     Still  they  have  not  been 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS    IN   EUKOPE.  125 

discouraged,  but  have  rallied  under  the  severest 
misfortunes — built  their  levees  higher,  and  given 
them  more  base,  and  now  rest  secure  from  the 
waves  of  the  "  stormy  sea."  Year  after  year  they 
taxed  themselves,  and  built  levee  after  levee,  until 
at  last  they  have  triumphed.  The  levees  are  under 
the  entire  control  of  the  General  Government.  A 
corps  of  engineers  are  kept  always  engaged  in 
watching  and  repairing  them.  By  this  means  Hol- 
land is  to-day  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and 
happy  countries  in  Europe. 

We  have  only  the  Mississippi  to  levee.  This 
can  be  done  effectually.  In  Holland  they  have 
fought  and  conquered  the  Rhine  and  the  Ocean. 
We  should  then  take  courage  in  Louisiana — change 
our  entire  levee  system — place  it  under  the  control 
of  the  State,  and  make  it  the  duty  of  the  Commis- 
sioner of  Public  "Works  to  take  charge  of  all  levees, 
from  the  Balize  to  the  Arkansas  line.  Give  them 
full  power  to  construct,  rebuild,  and  repair  all 
levees  at  the  expense  of  the  general  levee  fund, 
and  then  we  will  have  no  more  overflows. 

Good-bye.     I  leave  to-day  for  Berlin. 

Yours,  very  truly, 

H.  W.  A. 


126       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER; 


LETTER    NO.  XIX. 

Berlin,  Hotel  du  Nokd,  Sept.  11,  1859. 
Editors  Advocate  : 

This  is  a  great  city,  full  of  works  of  art,  men 
of  science,  and  regal  splendor.  It  is  one  of  the 
largest  capitals  of  Europe,  having  a  population  of 
nearly  half  a  million  of  inhabitants.  The  great 
number  of  soldiers  here  gives  to  Berlin  almost 
the  air  of  a  camp.  Every  morning  at  11  o'clock 
they  "  mount  guard "  in  true  military  style.  A 
splendid  band  of  music  plays,  and  10,000  troops 
go  through  their  military  evolutions,  and  defile  be- 
fore you  to  their  several  stations  in  and  around  the 
city.  The  river  Spree,  a  small  and  sluggish 
stream  about  the  size  of  the  Tickfaw,  runs  through 
the  city,  and  communicates  with  the  Oder  and  the 
Baltic  on  the  one  hand,  and  empties  into  the  Elbe 
on  the  other.  The  situation  of  Berlin  is  low  and 
sandy,  in  the  midst  of  a  dreary  plain.  It  is  sur- 
prising that  the  foundation  of  a  town  should  have 
been  laid  on  so  uninteresting  a  spot ;  but  it  is  far 


OE,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUROPE.         127 


more  surprising  that  it  should  have  grown  up,  not- 
withstanding, into  the  nourishing  capital  of  a  great 
empire.  Owing  to  the  want  of  stone  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, the  largest  portion  of  the  buildings  are 
made  of  brick  and  plaster.  This  gives  to  the  city 
a  sameness,  as  if  the  great  Frederick  had  given 
out  the  building  of  the  entire  city  by  contract. 
Edinburgh,  or  London,  or  Paris,  all  have  many  evi- 
dences of  antiquity,  but  Berlin  looks  as  if  every 
house  in  it  was  plastered  the  same  day.  The  good 
people  of  Boston  and  Yicksburg  complain  bitterly 
of  their  high  hills  and  uneven  streets.  In  this 
city  they  complain  equally  as  much  of  their  dead- 
level  location  and  stagnant  gutters.  The  Friedrich- 
strasse  is  two  miles  long.  There  is  not  a  foot  of 
descent  from  one  end  of  it  to  the  other. 

Notwithstanding  the  disadvantages  of  situation, 
Berlin  is  certainly  one  of  the  finest  cities  in  Eu- 
rope. Few  great  cities  can  show  so  much  archi- 
tectural splendor  as  is  seen  in  the  colossal  Palace, 
the  beautiful  and  classic  Museum,  the  chaste  Guard 
House,  the  great  Opera,  and  the  University  oppo- 
site. These,  with  the  Arsenal,  the  finest  specimen 
of  "  warlike  architecture  "  in  the  world,  and  the 
University,  are  all  within  a  stone's  throw  of  each 
other,  and  can  be  seen  alternately  by  turning  on 
one's  heel.  Most  of  these  elegant  buildings  are 
situated  on  the  great  street  called  Unter  der  Linden, 
(under  the  linden  tree,)  from  a  double  row  of  linden 
or  lime  trees,  which  form  a  shady  walk  in  the  cen- 
tre, while  on  each  side  is  a  carriage-way.     It  is  the 


128       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 


principal  and  most  magnificent  street  in  the  city. 
The  view  along  it  is  terminated  by  the  Branden- 
burg gate,  a  splendid  affair,  and  one  of  the  great 
ornaments  of  the  city.  It  was  built  in  1792,  and 
is  an  imitation  of  the  Propylseum  at  Athens,  but 
on  a  larger  scale.  The  car  of  victory  on  the  top 
of  the  gate,  was  carried  to  Rome  as  a  trophy  by 
Napoleon,  but  it  was  recovered  by  the  Prussians 
after  the  battle  of  "Waterloo,  who  bestowed  upon 
the  goddess  (the  figure)  after  her  return,  the  eagle 
and  iron  cross  which  she  now  bears. 

The  Prussians  not  only  appear  to  be  great  art- 
ists, but  are  exceedingly  patriotic,  for  they  have  al-  . 
most  crowded  their  streets  and  public  squares  with 
statues  and  monuments  to  their  great  benefactors. 
To  their  King  Frederick  the  Great,  they  have  re- 
cently erected  the  most  magnificent  statue,  or  rather 
group  of  statues,  I  ever  beheld.  It  is  by  their  great 
Bculptor  Pauch,  (pronounced  Rowk,)  and  is  the 
grandest  monument  in  the  wide  world.  It  is  built 
in  the  centre  of  the  Unter  der  Linden,  opposite  the 
University,  and  consists  of  a  granite  pedestal  25 
feet  high,  presenting  on  each  face  bronze  groups  of 
the  great  commanders  of  the  Seven  Years'  War,  on 
foot  and  horseback,  all  the  size  of  life,  and  all  por- 
traits in  high  relief. 

Among  the  distinguished  persons  represented 
here  are  the  Duke  of  Brunswick,  afterwards  the 
commander  of  the  allies  against  Dumouriez,  Prince 
Heinrich  of  Prussia,  Generals  Seydlitz  and  Zeithen, 
Counts  von  Pinckenstein  and  von  Carmer,  Graun, 


OK,  SIX,   MONTHS   IN   EUKOPE.  129 

Lessing,  and  Kant — the  whole  number  on  the  four 
faces  of  the  pedestal  being  31.  To  reproduce 
these  correctly,  the  best  authorities  have  been  con- 
sulted, and  authentic  drawings,  busts,  and  medals 
of  the  period  have  been  strictly  followed.  This, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  has  involved  an  immense 
amount  of  labor,  but  the  value  of  the  monument 
as  an  historical  work,  is  thereby  increased  ten- 
fold. The  costumes  and  arms  of  the  time  are  given 
with  equal  accuracy.  Above,  there  is  at  each  cor- 
ner a  female  figure,  representing  the  four  cardi- 
nal virtues — Prudence,  Justice,  Fortitude,  and 
Temperance.  Between  them  are  bas-reliefs  em- 
blematic of  different  periods  of  the  monarch's  life. 
In  the  first  is  represented  his  birth  and  education, 
civil  and  military.  In  the  second  relief,  a  muse  is 
teaching  the  young  prince  history  ;  pointing  out  to 
him  the  names  of  the  commanders  he  most  ad- 
mired— Alexander,  Caesar,  and  Gustavus  Adolphus. 
In  the  third,  Minerva  is  giving  him  a  sword.  In 
the  fourth,  the  great  king  is  represented  after  his 
defeat  at  Kolin,  sitting  down,  and  looking  earnestly 
on  the  ground,  on  which  he  is  drawing  the  lines  of 
a  plan  with  his  cane.  This  subject  is  familiar  to 
every  German. 

In  the  back-ground  of  the  tablet  are  allegorical 
figures  of  Triumph  and  Victory,  intimating  that 
the  defeat  was  retrieved.  The  other  reliefs  repre- 
sent him  as  encouraging  the  arts  of  peace.  Now 
in  the  hut  of  a  Silesian  weaver — now  playing  on 
his  flute,  or  walking  in  the  gardens  of  "  Sans- 
6* 


130       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

souci."  From  the  centre  of  this  group  rises  th& 
monarch  himself,  seated  on  horseback.  This  statue 
is  17  feet  3  inches  high,  and  although  colossal,  it 
is  in  such  beautiful  proportion  that  its  great  size  is 
toned  down  in  a  wonderful  manner.  The  horse  is 
poised  in  a  trotting  position,  with  two  feet  raised. 
The  long  walking- cane,  the  three-cornered  hat,  the 
pistol  holsters,  are  all  copied  minutely  from  the 
relics  of  the  great  king.  I  have  thus  been  perhaps 
tedious  in  the  description  of  this  grand  monument. 
It  is  the  greatest  triumph  of  the  greatest  artist  since 
the  days  of  Michael  Angelo,  and  is  well  worth  a 
trip  across  the  Atlantic  to  see  it. 

Rauch  is  but  recently  dead.  He  has  also  left 
behind  him  many  other  statues  which  have  immor- 
talized his  name.  Among  them  are  his  "  King 
Frederick  and  Louisa,"  in  marble,  at  Charlotten- 
burg.  The  museum  at  Berlin  is,  however,  the 
"  great  lion  "  of  the  city.  It  has  just  been  entirely 
remodelled.  A  long  row  of  pillars  now  fronts  the 
Unter  den  Linden,  and  a  magnificent  new  building 
has  been  added  to  the  main  edifice.  The  great 
Cornelius,  the  best  fresco  painter  now  living,  has 
for  years  given  his  whole  time  and  talents  towards 
ornamenting  this  splendid  structure.  The  walls  of 
the  colonnade,  and  the  ceilings  of  the  interior,  are 
covered  with  classic  works,  by  the  best  living  paint- 
ers. The  museum  is  the  pride  of  the  city,  and  is 
under  the  direction  of  the  s-overnment.  It  con- 
tains  on  the  ground  floor  the  Antiquarium  ;  on  the 
second  the  Sculpture  Gallery,  and  on  the  third  floor 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  131 

the  Picture  Gallery.  Among  the  antique  statuary 
is  "  The  Boy  Praying,"  found  in  the  bed  of  the 
Tiber.  It  is  of  bronze,  and  is  one  of  the  very  best 
specimens  of  antique  art.  The  picture  gallery  is 
divided  into  numerous  small  compartments,  with 
appropriate  labels  over  each  apartment,  describing 
the  pictures,  and  giving  the  names  of  their  authors. 
The  Berlin  Gallery  does  not  rank  so  high  as  those 
of  Dresden  and  Munich,  in  works  of  first-rate  ex- 
cellence, but  it  has  good  specimens  of  a  great  num- 
ber of  masters  of  the  early  German  and  Italian 
schools.  Raphael  has  one  or  two  paintings  here, 
after  his  best  style.  Titian  and  Andrea  del  Sarto 
are  also  fully  represented.  Murillo,  and  Carlo 
Dolce,  and  Guido  are  also  to  be  seen  on  the  can- 
vased  walls ;  but  the  pride  of  this  gallery  is  the 
large  number  of  German  and  Dutch  paintings  of 
the  highest  order.  Lucas  Cranach  and  Hans  Hol- 
bein may  be  called  the  fathers  of  the  German 
school.  The}-  lived  in  the  days  of  Martin  Luther. 
Many  of  their  paintings  are  now  as  fresh  as  if  the 
colors  were  mixed  on  yesterday. 

Lessing,  the  great  German  artist,  is  here  seen 
in  all  his  glory.  His  great  painting  of  the  "Burn- 
ing of  John  Huss,"  is  now  in  the  Dusseldorf  Gal- 
lery at  iSTew  York.  Here  is  his  "  Trial  of  Huss," 
and  many  other  pieces  which  have  given  him  im- 
mortality. In  this  gallery  I  noticed  a  fine  picture 
by  an  artist  not  known  to  fame,  but  in  portrait 
painting  the  best  I  ever  saw.  It  is  Balthazar  Den- 
ner,  a  Dutch  painter.     It  is  the  portrait  of  an  old 


132       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER 


man,  and  cost  $10,000.  I  have  never  seen  such 
details  in  any  picture.  The  color  of  the  eyes  is 
perfect ;  every  freckle,  every  crow's-foot  and  wrin- 
kle are  as  well  defined  as  if  the  living  man  was 
before  you.  Here  also  I  noticed  a  painting  of  great 
merit  by  Yon  Laeck,  another  Dutchman.  It 
seemed  to  attract  great  attention,  and  I,  in  com- 
pany with  some  English  ladies,  walked  up  to  look 
at  it.  It  was  "  Venus  smacking  the  back  of  Cu- 
pid." The  goddess  seemed  angry,  and  was  laying 
on  with  might  and  main,  while  the  little  rascal  was 
red  with  spanking,  and  seemed  to  be  crying  at  the 
top  of  his  lungs. 

The  University  of  Berlin  stands  deservedly 
among  the  very  first  of  Europe.  As  a  medical 
school  it  ranks  the  first  in  Germany,  and  has  1,500 
students.  Here  are  students  from  all  parts  of  the 
world,  many  from  the  United  States.  Jena,  and 
Bonn,  and  Heidelburg  are  all  fine  institutions,  but 
Berlin  possesses  many  advantages  over  all,  Vienna 
not  excepted. 

The  Arsenal,  (Zenghaus,)  a  building  of  faultless 
architecture,  was  erected  in  1695.  Above  the  win- 
dows, round  the  inner  court,  are  22  masks,  admira- 
bly carved  in  stone,  by  Schliiter,  representing  the 
human  face  in  the  agonies  of  death.  On  the 
ground  floor  are  cannon  and  artillery  of  various 
kinds.  On  the  second  floor  are  ranged  100,000 
stand  of  arms.  Here  are  also  a  great  many  cu- 
rious old  guns  of  every  age,  used  when  gunpowder 
was  first  invented.     Here  also  are  seven  bunches  of 


OR,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUROPE.         133 


keys,  of  various  fortresses,  taken  by  Prussian  arms. 
Also  1,000  stand  of  colors,  mostly  taken  from  the 
French,  at  Paris,  in  1815. 

Berlin  has  not  many  very  fine  churches ;  the 
most  remarkable  is  the  Cathedral,  (Dom.)  It  is  the 
burial  place  of  the  royal  family,  and  contains  the 
remains  of  many  sovereigns  in  gilded  coffins.  I 
travelled  all  night  from  Amsterdam  to  this  city, 
expressly  to  hear  the  "  Berlin  Choir "  sing  the 
Mendelssohn  psalms,  unaccompanied  by  instru- 
mental music.  I  arrived  in  time  Sunday  morning, 
and  repaired  to  the  cathedral,  where  I  was  well  re- 
paid for  my  long  night's  journey.  The  sermon  was 
preached  in  German,  (all  of  which  was  Dutch  to 
me,)  but  the  music  was  most  admirable.  It  was 
far  superior  to  any  chorus  at  any  opera  I  had  ever 
heard. 

The  manufactories  of  Berlin  are  very  great. 
Iron,  copper,  and  bronze  are  manufactured  here 
into  a  thousand  different  articles.  China-ware, 
glass,  jewelry,  musical  instruments,  mathematical 
and  astronomical  instruments,  boots,  shoes,  and 
woollen  goods — all  these  articles  are  manufactured 
in  a  very  superior  manner,  and  give  employment 
to  thousands  of  operatives. 

Berlin  also  excels  in  works  of  "  high  art " — 
painting  and  statuary.  Here  are  found  the  studios 
of  the  great  German  living  masters. 

Immediately  beyond  the  Brandenburg  gate 
commences  the  Park,  (Thiergartcn.)  It  is  a  lovely 
spot,  containing  500  acres  of  land,  and  is  shaded 


134:       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

by  tall  trees,  interspersed  with  groups  of  shrub- 
bery. Here  and  there  are  open  spaces  for  ponds 
and  statuary,  and  elegant  romantic  coffee-houses. 
The  Prussians  have  made  this  an  earthly  paradise. 
Here  are  beautiful  walks  and  delightful  drives,  and 
"  rotten  rows,"  with  statues  and  fountains  and 
flowers  interspersed. 

Potsdam  is  the  Versailles  of  Berlin.  It  is  about 
25  miles  distant  by  rail,  and  is  a  small  place,  being 
only  remarkable  for  its  palaces,  and  the  gardens 
of  "  Sans-souci."  These  grounds  are  very  elegantly 
laid  off,  and  extend  for  many  miles  in  every  direc- 
tion. The  Palace  of  Charlottenburg,  in  these  gar- 
dens, is  a  most  remarkable  pile  of  marble  and  gilt. 
It  was  built  by  Frederick  the  Great,  after  his  long 
wars  were  over,  in  order  to  show  the  world  that  he 
was  not  entirely  broke.  Money  has  been  squan- 
dered here  in  every  conceivable  manner.  Such  a 
profusion  of  mosaics,  tortoise-shell,  alabaster,  mala- 
chite, amber,  and  lapis  lazuli  was  never  seen  be- 
fore. The  visitor  is  required  to  take  off  his  shoes, 
and  put  .on  felt  slippers,  in  walking  through  the 
apartments  of  this  palace,  for  the  floors  are  all  of 
the  finest  mosaics. 

The  old  king  still  lives  at  "  Sans-souci."  Poor 
old  man  !  He  is  in  a  dying  condition.  His  disease 
is  softening  of  the  brain,  brought  on  by  drinking 
too  much  Cliquot  champagne  !  for  he  was  no  one- 
oottle  man,  but  a  good  honest  drinker !  His  palace, 
although  surrounded  by  all  the  trappings  of  roy- 
altv,  looks  cold  and  dreary.     The  solitary  sentinel 


OK,  SIX    MONTHS    IN    EUKOPE.  135 


paces  slowlyin  front  of  the  door,  while  none  enter 
except  his  physician  or  the  next  of  kin.  Unfaith- 
ful subjects  pass  by,  and  crack  their  jokes  about 
old  Cliquot,  as  they  call  him,  with  (I  think)  great 
irreverence ! 

"  "Weary  lies  the  head  that  wears  a  crown." 
Yes,  this  poor  old  king  seems  to  have  a  hard  time 
of  it,  without  even  the  sympathy  of  his  people,  for 
he  never  had  their  affections. 

In  the  Garrison  Kirche  (Church  of  the  Garri- 
son) are  the  remains  of  the  great  Frederick,  in  a 
plain  zinc  coffin.  It  looks  like  a  box  of  sheet-iron, 
and  in  no  manner  like  the  sarcophagus  of  a  great 
monarch.  Over  this  coffin  are  suspended  the 
eagles  and  standards  taken  from  Napoleon's  armies 
at  Leipsic  and  "Waterloo,  in  order  to  appease  the 
manes  of  Frederick,  whose  sword  had  been  taken 
from  his  tomb  by  Napoleon,  and  carried  off  to 
Paris ;  a  fitting  atonement  to  the  shade  of  the  old 
hero  for  this  paltry  theft.  I  noticed  on  the  terraced 
gardens  of  "  Sans-souci,"  our  ordinary  pumpkin 
planted,  and  the  vines  trailed  along,  with  the  ripe 
red  and  yellow  fruit  hanging  very  artistically  down 
the  terraces,  making  our  democratic  vegetable  not 
only  useful  but  ornamental.  "  A  dainty  dish  to 
set  before  a  king." 

I  called  on  our  Minister,  Gov.  "Wright,  who  was 
very  kind  and  attentive  to  me.  Our  talented 
young  friend,  Ed.  Butler,  of  Iberville,  is  attached 
to  this  legation.  He  gave  me  a  real  Louisianian 
welcome,  and  made  my  stay  in  Berlin  very  agree- 


136       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

able.  We  went  to  the  grand  opera  together,  and 
witnessed  the  performance  of  an  extraordinary  bal- 
let, which  is  now  all  the  rage  in  Berlin.  Our 
young  friend  stands  very  high  here  in  diplomatic 
circles,  and  is  destined  to  be  a  prominent  man  in 
our  State.  Success  to  him,  for  he  is  as  clever  a 
fellow  as  ever  lived. 

For  many  years  Berlin  has  been  the  residence 
of  many  men  of  great  scientific  attainments. 
Among  them  were  the  celebrated  Alexander  von 
Humboldt,  a  name  known  in  every  land,  and  hon- 
ored by  all.  Kings  and  emperors  were  proud  to 
have  him  as  an  associate,  while  this  truly  great 
man  looked  with  contempt  on  all  the  honors  they 
showered  upon  him.  He  died  very  recently,  and 
lies  buried  a  few  miles  from  the  city.  His  grave 
is  visited  by  all  lovers  of  science,  and  his  memory 
is  revered  by  prince  and  people. 

Adieu.     I  leave  to-morrow  for  Dresden. 

Yery  truly  yours, 

H.  W.  A. 


OE,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  137 


LETTER     NO.   XX. 

Viotoeia  Hotel,  Dresden,  Saxony, 
Sept.  15,  1859. 

Editors  Advocate  : 

I  readied  this  old  but  very  interesting  city  in 
six  hours  from  Berlin — distance  116  miles— fare  110 
silbergroshens,  or  about  $3.  Saxony  has  for  many 
years  played  a  very  important  part  in  the  history 
of  the  world,  and  its  capital  was  often  the  scene  of 
terrible  conflicts  of  contending  armies.  During 
the  Seven  Years'  War,  Frederick  the  Great  besieged 
this  city,  and  in  later  times  Napoleon  I.  came  to 
its  relief,  while  surrounded  by  the  troops  of  the 
Allies.  It  was  on  this  memorable  occasion  that 
Gen.  Moreau  was  killed.  This  great  general,  who 
had  immortalized  himself  at  the  battle  of  Ilohen- 
linden,  was  now  with  the  allied  sovereigns.  The 
beleaguering  forces  extended  all  round  the  old 
town,  from  the  barrier  of  Pirna  on  the  Elbe,  to  the 
marsh  of  Preisnitz.  Near  the  small  village  of 
Raeknitz  stood  a  group  of  mounted  officers,  on  the 


138       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER 


27th  clay  of  August,  1813.  At  the  command  of 
Napoleon  they  were  fired  on,  he  saying  "  that  he 
suspected  there  were  some  small  generals  among 
them."  The  first  shot  took  effect — Moreau  fell. 
Both  legs,  which  were  cut  off  by  a  cannon  ball, 
are  buried  here.  A  large  square  block  of  granite, 
surmounted  by  a  helmet,  has  been  erected  on  the 
spot  where  he  received  his  mortal  wound,  with  this 
inscription  :  "  Moreau,  the  hero,  fell  here,  by  the 
side  of  Alexander,  27th  August,  1813."  His  body 
was  conveyed  to  St.  Petersburg,  and  buried  there 
in  great  state.  The  distance  of  the  shot  was  so 
great,  that  Napoleon  had  it  accurately  measured, 
and  found  it  to  be  exactly  2,000  yards — about  a 
mile  and  a  quarter.  Napoleon  III.  did  much  better 
shooting  than  that  at  the  battle  of  Solferino.  At 
three  miles  he  did  good  work  with  his  rifle  cannon. 
Dresden  is  situated  on  the  Elbe,  a  clear  and  ro- 
mantic stream,  about  two  or  three  hundred  yards 
wide.  It  has  been  called  the  "  German  Florence." 
Its  delightful  situation,  its  fine  collection  of  rare 
and  elegant  paintings,  its  statuary  and  its  jewels,  I 
should  think  would  make  it  compare  favorably 
with  the  great  Italian  city.  I  find  many  Ameri- 
cans here,  with  their  children  at  school.  They  tell 
me  that  in  music  and  the  modern  languages,  Dres- 
den has  great  advantages.  For  ages,  the  china  of 
this  place  has  been  in  much  demand.  Its  porce- 
lain manufactories  are  still  carried  on  to  a  great 
extent,  while  the  painting  on  china  seems  to  have 
taken  rank  among  the  lovers  of  "  high  art." 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUROPE.         189 

But  the  pride  of  Dresden  is  her  gallery  of 
paintings.  This  alone  brings  thousands  to  Saxony, 
from  all  parts  of  the  world.  "When  the  great  Na- 
poleon robbed  all  Europe  of  its  paintings,  not  even 
excepting  the  Vatican  at  Rome,  he  spared  this  gal- 
lery, and  seemed  to  take  a  great  delight  in  visiting- 
it.  Frederick,  while  bombarding  the  city,  ordered 
his  engineers  to  save  the  gallery  of  paintings.  He 
battered  down  walls,  and  churches,  and  palaces. 
He  entered  Dresden  as  a  conqueror,  but  asked  per- 
mission of  the  captive  monarch  to  visit  this  gallery 
as  a  stranger,  so  much  did  he  esteem  these  paint- 
ings. Among  the  2,000  paintings  exhibited  here, 
I  have  not  room  to  describe  but  two  or  three.  The 
first  in  the  gallery,  and  perhaps  the  best  painting 
out  of  Italy,  is  the  celebrated  "  Madonna  di  San 
Sisto,"  by  Raphael.  The  sainted  Pope  Sixtus, 
from  whom  the  picture  is  named,  is  represented  on 
the  one  side,  gazing  with  pious  and  trembling  awe 
upon  the  figure  of  the  Virgin,  who  is  soaring  up 
to  heaven,  in  all  the  majesty  with  which  the  Ro- 
man Catholic  religion  has  surrounded  her,  bearing 
in  her  arms  the  divine  Child.  The  head  of  the  Vir- 
gin is  perhaps  nearer  the  perfection  of  female  beau- 
ty than  any  thing  on  canvas.  It  is  truly  impress- 
ive and  beautiful.  Opposite  to  the  pojDe  kneels 
St.  Barbara ;  her  youthful  beauty  and  fervor  con- 
trast most  admirably  with  his  aged  form.  Below 
this  group  are  two  angelic  children,  their  counte- 
nances beaming  with  intelligence  and  pure  inno- 
cence.    With  e}res  upturned  to  the  central  figures 


140  TRAVELS   OF   A   SUGAR   PLANTER  ; 

of  the  picture,  they  are  the  happiest  effort  of  the 
great  artist.  This  picture  was  purchased  from  a 
convent  at  Piacenza  for  17,000  ducats,  about  $40,000, 
and  is  now  considered  more  valuable  than  all  the 
jewels  in  "  the  crown  the  Bourbon  lost."  An  ele- 
gant apartment  is  appropriated  to  this  great  paint- 
ing, and  there  you  may  recline  on  the  sofas  from 
morning  till  night,  with  nothing  to  interrupt  the 
pleasant  reverie  produced  by  a  close  study  of  this 
great  work  of  art.  There  is,  perhaps,  no  painting 
more  generally  copied,  and  more  numerously  dis- 
tributed through  the  Christian  world.  In  the  world 
of  art  it  ranks  only  second  to  "  The  Transfigura- 
tion," in  the  Yatican  at  Rome. 

The  next  great  painting  is  the  "  La  ISTotte,"  by 
Correggio.  This  is  considered  the  master-piece  of 
this  great  Italian,  and  all  the  powers  of  his  art  are 
here  united  to  make  it  a  perfect  work.  It  is  a  repre- 
sentation of  the  Madonna  and  Child,  and  is  called 
"  Kotte,"  (night,)  because  it  represents  the  Mother 
and  Child  in  a  dark  room,  and  the  only  light  pro- 
duced is  from  the  supernatural  halo  emitted  from 
the  infant  Saviour.  The  effect  is  truly  astonishing. 
The  Virgin  mother,  who  bends  over  the  Infant,  is 
undazzled,  while  another  female  draws  back,  veil- 
ing her  eyes  with  her  hand,  as  if  unable  to  endure 
the  radiance.  Far  off  through  the  gloom  of  night 
we  see  the  morning  just  breaking  along  the  eastern 
horizon,  emblem  of  the  "  Day-spring  from  on  high." 
Correggio  did  not,  like  Rembrandt,  in  these  effects 
attempt  to  give  the  color  of  lamp-light.     The  emit- 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  141 

ting  the  light  from  the  child,  though  a  supernatu- 
ral illusion,  is  eminently  successful ;  it  looks  neither 
forced  nor  improbable.  In  the  adaptation  of  light 
and  shadow  to  the  illusion  of  the  subject,  it  is  cer- 
tainly one  of  the  greatest  triumphs  of  modern  art. 
These  two  are  the  gems  of  the  gallery.  There  are 
many  other  paintings  of  rare  excellence,  by  the 
old  masters.  Rubens  and  Titian,  Dosso  Dossi  and 
Guido,  Paul  Veronese  and  Andrea  del  Sarto,  Girard 
Dow  and  Albert  Durer,  Holbein,  Paul  Potter, 
Rembrandt,  Van  Dyck,  and  Teniers,  are  all  here 
represented  by  their  master-pieces  of  the  "  divine 
art," 

The  next  great  curiosity  in  Dresden  is  the 
"  Green  Vault,"  in  which  are  large  suites  of  rooms 
filled  with  curiosities,  articles  of  virtu,  gold  and 
silver  plate,  and  precious  jewels.  For  many  years 
the  kings  of  Saxony  drew  immense  revenues  from 
their  silver  mines  at  Freiburg,  and  they  all  seem 
to  have  had  a  strange  fancy  in  spending  their 
money  in  the  purchase  of  what  might  very  prop- 
erly be  called  an  immense  curiosity-shop.  I  saw 
many  rare  jewels  in  this  vault,  of  surpassing  beau- 
ty :  the  diamond  decorations  of  the  elector,  con- 
sisting of  buttons,  collar,  sword-hilt  and  scabbard, 
all  of  diamonds  of  great  size.  The  three  brilliants 
in  the  epaulette  weigh  50  carats  each.  But  the 
most  remarkable  stone  of  all  is  the  green  brilliant, 
weighing  160  grains  !  considered  the  finest  of  the 
kind  in  the  world.  These  treasures  are  contained 
in  eight  apartments,  each  exceeding  the  previous 


142       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

one  in  the  splendor  and  richness  of  its  contents. 
In  one  of  these  apartments  I  noticed  "  The  Fall  of 
Lucifer  and  the  Wicked  Angels,"  cut  out  of  one 
block  or  piece  of  ivory,  containing  142  figures ; 
two  goblets  composed  entirely  of  cut  gems,  valued 
each  at  30,000  francs  ;  a  chimney-piece  of  Dresden 
china,  sparkling  with  precious  stones  ;  "  The  Court 
of  the  Great  Mogul,"  represented  in  pure  gold,  val- 
ued at  $60,000.  These  are  a  few  of  the  rare  and 
costly  trinkets  seen  here. 

The  armory  is  in  the  "  Zwinger,"  a  large  public 
building,  and  contains  the  most  perfect  specimens 
of  armor  now  in  existence ;  far  superior  to  the 
Tower  at  London.  Here  you  pass,  for  100  yards 
or  more,  through  long  files  of  mounted  knights, 
with  steel-clad  armor,  their  visors  down,  and  lances 
in  rest,  seemingly  ready  for  the  charge.  Two  of 
these  tilting  suits  of  armor  deserve  particular  no- 
tice. They  each  weigh  200  pounds,  and  are  fin- 
ished in  the  most  classic  and  elaborate  style.  The 
surface  is  covered  with  reliefs,  representing  the  la- 
bors of  Hercules,  the  Golden  Fleece,  and  Theseus 
and  Ariadne,  all  evincing  the  hand  of  the  master 
artist.  In  another  apartment  I  saw  the  little 
cocked  hat  of  Peter  the  Great,  and  the  boots  which 
Napoleon  wore  at  the  battle  of  Dresden.  Here 
also  is  a  specimen  of  pure  silver,  taken  from  the 
Freiburg  mines ;  it  is  large  enongh  and  has  been 
used  for  the  elector's  dinner-table.  Here  also  is  a 
great  curiosity,  the  only  one  I  ever  saw  of  the  kind 
— it  is  a  long  tube,  formed  by  lightning  falling  on 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUEOPE.         143 

a  bed  of  sand,  which  has  been  partially  melted  by 
the  electric  fluid,  wherever  it  took  its  course,  and 
thus  has  made  "  a  hollow  rope  of  sand." 

Dresden  has  an  old  appearance.  It  is  a  very 
quiet  place.  The  sound  of  the  hammer  or  the 
buzz  of  the  machine-shop  is  never  heard.  Its  prin- 
cipal manufactories  seem  to  be  in  porcelain  and 
musical  instruments.  The  arts  flourish  here,  par- 
ticularly the  art  of  painting  on  china,  in  which 
they  greatly  excel  all  other  places.  There  are  but 
few  tine  churches.  The  court  church,  between  the 
bridge  and  the  palace,  is  not  by  any  means  an  im- 
posing building.  It  is,  however,  decorated  in  all 
the  gorgeous  drapery  of  the  Italian  style. 

The  royal  family  profess  the  Catholic  religion, 
though  their  subjects  are  Lutherans.  Augustus  II., 
as  the  price  of  obtaining  the  crown  of  Poland,  ab- 
jured the  Protestant  religion,  of  which  his  ances- 
tors had  been  the  earliest  and  most  faithful  sup- 
porters. The  two  religions  seem  to  be  getting 
along  very  well  together.  There  does  not  appear 
to  be  any  jealousy  between  them.  The  large  mass 
of  the  German  people  are  free-thinkers.  They  read 
the  ponderous  works  of  Immanuel  Kant,  and 
drink  oceans  of  lager-bier.  Thus  fortified,  they 
are  ready  to  dispute  with  St.  Peter  himself,  or  chop 
logic  with  John  Bunyan,  John  Calvin,  John  "Wes- 
ley, or  John  Hughes. 

Few  European  capitals  contain  a  greater  num- 
ber of  objects  calculated  to  gratify  the  curiosity  of 
the   intelligent   traveller.       It  is  the  residence  of 


144       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  J 

many  men  of  learning  and  talent,  who  contribute 
much  to  make  society  agreeable.  The  opera  is 
good,  and  music  is  much  cultivated.  The  climate 
is  generally  mild  and  agreeable,  while  food  and 
lodging  are  not  dear.  It  is  now  much  resorted  to 
by  English  and  Americans,  for  education  and  econ- 
omy. It  has  neither  fine  streets  nor  imposing  pub- 
lic buildings,  but  its  situation  is  pretty,  and  its  en- 
virons really  delightful.  The  terrace  of  Bruhl  runs 
along  the  left  bank  of  the  Elbe,  and  forms  a  delight- 
ful promenade.  On  this  terrace  are  two  very  ele- 
gant cafes,  the  "  Keale "  and  the  "  Belvidere," 
where  the  elite  of  Dresden  are  seen  every  evening. 
Besides  these,  there  are  numerous  fine  "  lager- 
bier  "  saloons.  The  beer  here  is  very  good.  I 
much  prefer  it  to  the  cheap,  wines  of  the  country. 

Last  night  I  went  to  the  opera,  and  heard  the 
comic  piece  of  "  Herr  Pantalon,"  or  "  Good-night, 
Mr.  Simmons."  It  was  well  given  by  the  best  art- 
ists of  the  city.  "Whether  this  opera  was  written 
in  consequence  of  the  retiring  from  politics  of  our 
old  friend  from  Iberville,  I  know  not ;  but  the  music 
•was  good,  and  the  principal  male  singer  reminded 
me  very  much  of  the  broad  proportions  of  my  old 
Democratic  friend,  who  always  carried  much  weight 
in  our  legislative  deliberations. 

We  get  nothing  from  Dresden  but  china-ware 
and  musical  instruments.  China-ware,  or  porce- 
lain, was  originally  brought  from  the  country  after 
which  it  is  named,  and  was  first  made  in  Europe 
at  this  place  in  1710,  by  one  Botticher,  an  alche- 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUROPE.  145 

mist,  who,  after  wasting  a  great  deal  of  the  gold  of 
his  patron,  Augustus  I.  of  Poland,  in  his  search 
for  the  philosopher's  stone,  stumbled  by  accident 
on  a  more  sure  method  of  producing  the  precious 
metals,  by  the  discovery  of  an  art  which  has  served 
to  enrich  his  countrymen.  The  Dresden  china  is 
not  so  valuable  as  the  Sevres.  It  is,  however,  more 
durable,  and  much  better  adapted  to  practical  use. 
It  graces  the  tables  of  all  the  crowned  heads  of 
Europe,  and  is  much  sought  after  by  the  wealthy 
aristocracy  of  every  land. 

Adieu.  I  leave  for  Vienna  to-morrow,  in  which 
great  city  I  expect  to  be  "  a  quiet  looker-on  "  for  a 
few  days. 

Truly  your  friend, 

H.  W.  A. 

7 


146      TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  J 


LETTER    NO.  XXI. 

Hotel  l'Agneau  d'Oe,  Vienna,  Acstbia, 
Sept.  18, 1859. 

Editors  Advocate  : 

I  have  the  pleasure  to  write  you  to-day  from  the 
banks  of  the  "  dark-rolling  Danube."  From  Dres- 
den to  this  city  is  18  hours  by  rail.  The  road 
passes  through  Saxon-Switzerland,  Bohemia,  and 
Moravia.  At  Prague  I  took  breakfast,  and  spent 
an  hour  in  examining  the  Bohemian  ware  so  much 
prized  in  our  country,  and  in  fact  all  over  the  world 
where  good  taste  is  cultivated  and  good  wine  drank. 
It  is  mostly  manufactured  in  the  city  of  Prague, 
this  being  the  principal  employment  of  its  inhabit- 
ants. In  the  manufactories  here  I  saw  a  beautiful 
article,  the  "  wine  cooler,"  made  of  frosted  glass. 
It  is  really  very  beautiful,  and  will  be  a  great  or- 
nament to  the  dining-table. 

Prague  is  a  large  city,  with  a  population  of 
150,000  inhabitants,  and  is  beautifully  situated  on 
the  banks  of  the  Moldau,  in  a  lovely  valley,  sur- 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS    IN   ETTKOPE.  147 

rounded  by  romantic  hills.  Here  was  fought,  once 
upon  a  time,  a  certain  great  battle,  many  years 
ago,  with  the  music  of  which  our  school-misses  are 
pretty  well  acquainted,  for  I  verily  believe  that  the 
"  Battle  of  Prague"  and  "  Days  of  Absence"  were 
the  first  two  pieces  of  music  I  ever  heard  on  the 
piano.  Bohemia  is  a  beautiful,  undulating  coun- 
try, and  reminds  me  very  much  of  the  lands 
around  Huntsville  in  North  Alabama.  Here  the 
grasses,  buckwheat,  rye,  and  Indian  corn  nourish 
well,  and  yield  large  crops. 

Between  Prague  and  Vienna  are  large  pastures 
covered  with  thousands  of  sheep  and  cattle.  The 
shepherds  dress  in  a  very  romantic  style,  and  are 
always  seen  in  the  midst  of  their  flocks.  I  saw  a 
great  many  Gypsies  on  the  roadside  in  their  rude 
tents,  but  did  not  see  the  "  Bohemian  Girl,"  of 
whom  we  all  have  heard  so  much  in  poetry  and  in 
song.  These  Gypsies  form  a  large  portion  of  the 
population  of  Bohemia.  They  are  still  nomadic,  and 
wander  about  from  place  to  place,  mending  a  few 
tin-pans,  stealing  a  little  grain,  and  occasionally  a 
child  of  some  wealthy  man,  and  then  restoring  it 
again  for  a  large  reward.  The  Austrian  govern- 
ment seems  to  deal  gently  with  these  "  children  of 
the  woods."  They  are  permitted  to  roam  wherever 
they  please,  and  pitch  their  tents  in  field  or  forest. 
During  the  summer  months  they  establish  quite 
extensive  villages  on  the  banks  of  the  Moldau,  and 
live  on  fish  and  fowl.  The  women  tell  fortunes, 
and  sing  and  dance  ;  while  the  men  are  idle,  lazy 


148       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

vagabonds,  too  proud  to  beg,  but  perfectly  willing 
to  steal.  They  keep  up  their  nationality,  and  pride 
themselves  on  their  ancestors,  of  whom  they  of 
course  know  but  little.  It  is  generally  believed 
they  came  from  Hindostan,  but  that  they  may  all 
go  to  the  d— 1,  seems  to  be  the  pious  wish  of  every 
civilized  community,  where  the  rights  of  "  meum 
and  tuum  "  are  acknowledged.  The  men  are  gen- 
erally dark-featured  and  ungainly,  but  the  women 
are  often  very  pretty.  With  dark  raven  hair  and 
coal-black  eyes,  they  have  often  captivated  men 
of  rank  and  fortune,  and  even  princes  of  royal 
blood.  The  romantic  novelist  and  the  crack- 
brained  bard  have  ever  had  a  penchant  for  the 
Gypsy.  The  Gypsy  hat  and  the  Gypsy  dress 
have  attracted  the  attention  of  the  French  milliners, 
while  the  "  Queen  of  the  Gypsies  "  has  been  the 
object  of  envy  for  many  a  bread-and-butter  school- 
miss,  who  sighed  for  red  scarfs,  and  bare  feet,  and 
running  brooks.  The  Gypsy  lives  in  story  and  in 
song,  and  has  been  the  heroine  of  many  a  delight- 
ful opera. 

But  here  we  are  in  Vienna.  It  is  very  pleas- 
antly situated  on  the  Danube,  and  contains  a  popu- 
lation of  450,000  inhabitants.  It  looks  more  like 
Paris  than  any  European  city  I  have  seen.  The 
streets  are  wide  and  well  paved,  and  the  cabmen, 
with  fine  horses,  drive  up  and  down  the  thorough- 
fares like  so  many  Jehus.  The  Danube  is  about 
the  size  of  the  Ohio,  but  much  deeper.  It  is  navi- 
gated by  a  great  many  steamers,  making  regu- 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUROPE.         149 

lar  trips  to  various  ports,  but  all  of  them  small  and 
very  uncomfortable.  Vienna  is  remarkable  for  its 
coffee-houses,  for  here  it  was  that  this  great  insti- 
tution began.  The  cafes  are  generally  kept  by  the 
girls  of  Vienna.  They  are  really  beautiful,  dress 
very  neatly,  and  present  you  with  a  cup  of  coffee 
in  a  very  smiling  and  graceful  manner.  These  es- 
tablishments are  fitted  up  in  the  most  gorgeous  and 
costly  manner,  and  are  the  resort  of  the  gay  and 
fashionable  of  the  city.  I  saw  this  evening  in  the 
Cafe  Leopoldstadt  a  sight  that  is  not  usually  seen 
in  any  other  European  city.  A  richly  dressed 
Greek  was  sipping  his  coffee  with  a  "  turbaned 
Turk,"  while  a  Cossack  and  an  Austrian  soldier 
were  smoking  their  meerschaums  with  one  of  the 
"  tribe  of  Barabbas." 

The  fare  is  very  good  in  Vienna,  but  I  do  not 
like  the  Austrian  wine.  Tokay  is  drank  very  freely 
here.  I  cannot  bear  it.  Its  taste  is  too  aromatic, 
and  gives  to  the  mind  the  unpleasant  idea  of  its 
being  drugged  or  medicated.  It  is  made  in  Hun- 
gary out  of  the  white  grape,  and  is  much  esteemed 
by  the  bon  vivants  of  Austria.  To  bring  on  the 
"  board  "  a  bottle  of  "  Imperial  Tokay,"  is  consid- 
ered in  Austria  the  highest  mark  of  hospitality  to 
the  invited  guest. 

In  Vienna,  the  Croat  and  the  Bohemian,  the 
Moravian  and  the  Dalmatian,  the  Hungarian  and 
the  Venetian,  all  meet,  dressed  in  their  peculiar 
costumes,  which  give  to  this  city  a  very  gay  and 
picturesque  appearance.     The  Turks  visit  this  city 


150       TEAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

in  great  numbers,  and  carry  on  an  immense  trade. 
This  is  in  every  respect  the  most  oriental  city  in 
Christian  Europe,  except  Moscow.  Its  trade  with 
the  Black  Sea  is  very  great,  and  its  communication 
now  with  Constantinople  and  the  East  almost  direct. 

I  spent  yesterday  in  the  picture  galleries  and 
the  arsenal.  The  paintings  are  very  fine,  particu- 
larly in  the  gallery  of  Prince  Lichtenstein.  It  is 
astonishing  what  immense  fortunes  seem  to  have 
accumulated  in  the  hands  of  private  persons  in 
this  country.  In  the  United  States,  when  a  man 
gets  to  be  worth  a  million  of  dollars,  we  call  him 
rich ;  but  here  are  numbers  of  the  aristocracy  of 
Austria  worth  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  millions 
each.  This  magnificent  gallery,  the  Lichtenstein, 
occupying  an  immense  palace,  is  valued  at  several 
millions  pounds  sterling.  In  it  are  over  two  thou- 
sand paintings,  many  of  them  by  the  best  masters, 
and  all  good  specimens  of  this  great  art.  I  saw 
here  the  greatest  profusion  of  Rubens  and  Yan 
Dyck,  I  have  yet  seen  out  of  Belgium.  Rubens  is 
a  coarse  and  florid  painter.  He  portrays  the  pas- 
sions very  well,  and  is  great  in  crucifixions  and 
death  scenes,  but  will  not  compare  with  the  great 
Italian  masters  in  his  madonnas  or  other  pieces  of 
repose  and  devotion.  I  have  thus  far  seen  but  two 
or  three  of  Raphael's  pictures.  They  are  really 
divine,  and  to  my  humble  judgment  far  superior  to 
any  thing  of  Rubens  at  Antwerp  or  the  Hague. 

In  the  Imperial  Arsenal  I  saw  the  rifled  cannon 
taken  by  the  Austrians  from  the  French  at  the  bat- 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS   IN  EUROPE.  151 


tie  of  Solferino.  It  is  a  handsome  brass  gun,  and 
from  it  the  Austrians  have  already  made  a  great 
many  of  a  similar  kind,  and  of  a  larger  calibre. 
This  French  gun  has  six  rifles,  and  did  good  execu- 
tion at  a  distance  of  three  miles,  point  blank.  The 
arsenal  is  filled  with  a  vast  amount  of  artillery  of 
every  size  and  every  improvement,  besides  huge 
stacks  of  rifles  and  muskets,  enough  to  "  put  the 
world  in  arms."  Then  the  artillery  wagons,  and  the 
baggage  wagons,  and  the  camp  wagons,  all  filling  an 
immense  in  closure  around  the  arsenal,  give  to  the 
place  really  a  very  warlike  appearance.  The  wagons 
are  made  strong,  but  light,  and  their  bodies  consist 
of  willow-osier  work.  I  really  envied  the  Austrian 
government  the  having  so  many  of  these  light  and 
handsome  wagons,  for  I  think  I  could  put  a  few  of 
them  to  far  better  uses  than  hauling  gunpowder 
and  cannon  balls.  I  would  put  them  to  hauling 
sugar-cane,  and  fill  their  ample  sides  with  swelling 
ears  of  Indian  corn.  "  Peace  has  its  conquests  as 
well  as  war."  I  much  prefer  to  fight  crab-grass 
and  cockle-burs,  to  mortal  men  of  flesh  and  blood ; 
and  such  modest  unpretending  tools  as  the  plough, 
the  hoe,  and  the  spade,  are  much  more  congenial  to 
my  nature  than  broadswords,  smooth-bores,  and 
grape-shot. 

Last  night  I  went  to  the  opera,  and  was  much 
delighted  at  the  fine  music.  The  theatre  or  opera 
house  is  not  so  fine  as  that  at  Berlin  ;  the  music  is, 
however,  delightful,  perhaps  the  very  best  in  the 
world. 


152      TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  J 

To-day  being  Sunday,  I  have  spent  in  visiting 
the  churches.  I  heard  mass  at  St.  Peter's.  The 
singing  was  good,  and  the  organ  well  played.  At 
the  church  of  the  Capuchins  lie  the  mortal  remains 
of  all  of  the  House  of  Hapsburg.  Here  also  re- 
poses Napoleon  H,  Duke  of  Reichstadt,  by  the  side 
of  his  mother  Maria  Louisa.  An  arrangement  is 
already  made  by  which  the  body  of  the  young  Na- 
poleon will  soon  be  taken  to  Paris,  and  placed  by 
the  side  of  his  illustrious  sire.  The  finest  cathedral 
in  Yienna,  however,  is  St.  Stephen's.  It  was  be- 
gun as  early  as  1359,  and  completed  in  1433.  The 
steeple  is  428  feet  high,  and  the  largest  bell,  cast 
out  of  180  Turkish  cannon,  weighs  40,000  pounds  ! 
In  this  church  is  buried  the  celebrated  Prince 
Eugene,  the  great  general  and  companion-in-arms 
of  the  Duke  of  Marlborough.  In  the  church  of 
St.  Augustine  is  a  magnificent  monument  to  the 
memory  of  the  Duchess  Christiana,  by  Canova. 
It  represents  an  open  tomb,  with  several  figures  (in 
marble)  as  large  as  life,  walking  into  it.  It  is  a 
most  beautiful  conception,  and  well  worthy  of  the 
great  artist.  In  this  same  church,  in  the  Loretto 
chapel,  are  all  the  hearts  of  the  members  of  the 
Hapsburg  family,  preserved  in  silver  urns. 

In  this  great  capital  there  are  hundreds  of  ele- 
gant palaces.  Among  them  Prince  Lichtenstein's, 
Prince  Esterhazy's,  Count  Czernin's,  and  Count 
Schonborn's,  are  the  principal.  In  all  these  pal- 
aces are  fine  galleries  of  paintings  and  statuary, 
costly  jewels,  and  rare  articles  of  virtu.    The  im- 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  153 

perial  cabinets  of  antiquities  and  of  minerals  are 
the  very  best  in  existence.  Here  are  the  finest 
specimens  of  the  various  minerals  that  the  earth 
and  sea  contain,  and  most  tastefully  arranged,  with 
appropriate  descriptions.  Among  them  I  noticed  a 
pearl  as  large  as  my  fist.  It  looked  as  if  all  the  rays 
of  the  rainbow  had  been  concentred  in  it.  Here 
are  precious  stones  of  every  description  in  the  larg- 
est profusion,  from  Golconda's  precious  gems  "  of 
purest  ray  serene,"  to  Ural's  malachite,  all  "  dressed 
in  living  green."  Here  is  seen  gold  from  "  Afric's 
burning  sands,"  and  white  granite  from  "  Green- 
land's icy  mountains." 

To  the  student  of  nature,  to  the  lover  of  the 
natural  sciences,  this  imperial  collection  is  a  treat 
indeed.  My  companion,  Dr.  Smith,  is  a  fine  ge- 
ologist, and  naturally  a  great  lover  of  its  kindred 
science  mineralogy.  He  lingered  for  hours  and 
hours  examining  these  fine  specimens  of  nature's 
wealth  ;  at  last  when  compelled  to  leave,  sighed  to 
find  that  he  could  not  stay  longer.  Around  the 
city  of  Vienna  are  a  great  many  places  of  amuse- 
ment and  attraction.  The  Prater  is  an  immense 
inclosure,  (the  Hyde  Park  of  Vienna,)  and  is  well 
studded  with  fine  shady  trees,  and  interspersed  with 
groups  of  shrubbery  and  nice  resting-places  for  the 
million.  Here  are  thousands  of  tame  deer  for  the 
Imperial  tables.  In  the  suburbs,  only  a  mile  or 
two,  is  the  palace  of  Schonbrun,  the  summer  resi- 
dence of  the  emperor.  Napoleon  lived  here  when 
he  was  master  of  Vienna,  and  here  his  son,  the 
7* 


154       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER 


Duke  of  Eeichstadt,  lived  and  died.  The  gardens 
attached  to  this  palace  are  beautiful ;  they  extend 
up  the  sides  of  the  mountain  on  which  is  built  "  the 
Gloriette,"  a  beautiful,  airy,  open  summer-house, 
on  the  top  of  which  is  a  promenade,  commanding 
a  most  magnificent  view  of  Vienna  and  its  environs. 
Near  this  "  Gloriette  "  is  Hitteldorf,  the  emperor's 
grounds,  inclosed  by  a  high  stone  wall,  and  con- 
taining 3,000  wild  boars;  and  here  is  the  place 
where  the  Austrian  aristocracy  assemble  every  fall 
to  amuse  themselves  in  that  time-honored  German 
sport  of  "  hunting  the  boar."  With  us  matters  are 
reversed  ;  the  hores  hunt  us,  and  generally  succeed, 
much  to  our  annoyance,  in  finding  us  ! 

I  went  this  evening  to  hear  the  celebrated  Straus, 
(pronounced  S  trows.)  He  plays  with  his  band  every 
Sunday  evening  at  a  fashionable  establishment  in 
the  suburbs  of  Vienna.  The  music  was  truly  mag- 
nificent, especially  the  waltzes  and  schottishes,  for 
which  Straus  has  so  long  been  famous.  There  is 
a  story  here  that  Straus  was  once  deep  in  love  with 
a  daughter  of  the  archduke.  His  love  was  not  ap- 
preciated or  requited.  On  her  wedding-day  he 
was  summoned  to  attend  with  his  band,  and  play 
for  the  assembled  guests,  the  bridal  party.  He 
did  so,  and  composed  expressly  for  the  occasion  a 
waltz  which  was  played  then,  but  has  never  been 
performed  since.  The  blushing  bride  asked  him 
to  play  one  of  his  sweetest  waltzes  ;  immediately 
he  obeyed.  She  took  the  floor  with  her  partner. 
The  music  was  splendid — on  went  the  waltz — the 


-OE,  SIX  MONTHS    IN  EUROPE.  155 

music  was  delicious — still  the  waltz  went  on — the 
music  became  ravishing — the  waltz  went  on  and 
on  and  on — sweeter  and  sweeter  was  the  music — 
faster  and  faster  became  the  waltz,  until  the  beau- 
tiful bride  dropped  dead  upon  the  floor,  a  victim 
to  the  intoxicating  influence  of  Straus's  music  !  I 
do  not  know  whether  this  story  be  true  or  not,  but 
one  thing  I  do  know,  that  his  waltzes  are  really 
charming  ;  and  if  any  thing  in  the  shape  of  music 
could  kill  a  man  or  a  woman,  Straus's  waltzes 
would.  I  wish  I  could  write  you  more  about  this 
great  city,  for  to  me  it  is  the  most  agreeable  and 
interesting  of  all  the  cities  I  have  visited.  The 
women  here,  notwithstanding  the  pouting  Austrian 
lip,  are  beautiful,  and  exceedingly  agreeable  and 
kind  to  strangers.  As  a  "  looker  on  in  Vienna," 
I  have  learned  much  in  this  imperial  city,  and 
shall  always  congratulate  myself  in  having  visited 
it.  At  present,  the  great  drawback  to  Austrian 
prosperity  is  the  wretched  condition  of  her  cur- 
rency. This  is  20  per  cent,  below  par.  She  pays 
and  feeds  this  day  600,000  soldiers !  No  wonder 
the  nation  is  impoverished  and  the  treasury  bank- 
rupt.    Adieu, 

Yours  truly, 

H.  W.  A. 


156      TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  J 


LETTEK    NO.  XXII. 

Hotel  de  La  Ville,  Trieste,  Austria. 
Sept.  30, 1859. 

Editors  Advocate: 

From  Vienna  to  this  place  is  363  miles,  time 
24  hours,  fare  34  florins,  or  $17.  The  railway 
passes  over  the  Styrian  Alps,  or  rather  under 
them,  for  I  counted  47  tunnels  !  Our  roads  across 
the  Alleghanies  and  the  Cumberland  Mountains 
are  works  of  great  skill,  but  this  is  the  most  her- 
culean enterprise  I  have  ever  seen.  It  is  a  double 
track  the  whole  distance,  and  built  in  the  most 
substantial  manner.  The  scenery  as  you  pass  along 
through  Styria  is  very  fine,  resembling  in  a  very 
remarkable  manner  the  most  picturesque  portions 
of  Switzerland.  I  noticed  that  the  farmers  along 
the  road  in  many  places  plant  our  Indian  corn, 
and  cut  it  while  green  as  fodder  for  their  horses 
and  cattle.  Indeed  this  seems  to  be  their  principal 
crop,  and  appears  to  have  taken  the  place  of  the 
grasses  in  a  great  degree.     Buckwheat  also  flour- 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  157 

ishes  well  here,  and  is  generally  grown.  The  zigzag 
course  of  the  cars  as  they  wind  around  the  moun- 
tains, gives  the  traveller  a  beautiful  panorama  of 
the  country  through  which  he  passes.  One  station 
is  on  the  very  top  of  a  high  peak  of  the  Alps ;  you 
then  descend  gradually,  and  dive  into  the  bowels 
of  the  earth  for  a  mile  or  two,  and  come  out  within 
a  few  hundred  yards  from  the  place  where  you  be- 
gan the  descent.  As  we  approached  the  Adriatic, 
we  could  see  the  far-off  Carpathian  Mountains  on 
the  confines  of  Hungary.  For  miles  and  miles  be- 
fore you  reach  the  Adriatic,  the  whole  country  is 
one  wild,  rugged,  barren  waste,  with  but  a  few 
scattering  huts,  and  no  evidences  of  civilization. 
This  portion  of  Illyria  is  only  occupied  as  sheep 
walks,  for  I  did  not  see  an  inclosure  of  any  kind, 
not  even  a  garden  spot.  The  whole  country  seems 
to  be  one  huge,  rugged,  ill-shapen  rock,  covered 
with  mosses  and  lichens  which  atford  a  scanty  sub- 
sistence for  sheep  and  goats.  As  the  sun  rose  o'er 
this  cold  and  bleak  region,  we  came  in  sight  of 
the  calm  and  beautiful  Gulf  of  Yenice. 

Trieste,  the  principal  commercial  city  of  Austria, 
(in  fact  the  only  seaport  of  any  importance,)  is  sit- 
uated at  the  head  of  the  Adriatic  or  Gulf  of  Venice, 
and  lies  in  the  shape  of  a  crescent.  It  contains 
about  80,000  inhabitants,  most  of  whom  are  Italians, 
Greeks,  and  Turks.  But  few  white  people  live  here. 
I  took  a  commissionaire  and  went  over  the  place, 
but  I  must  say  was  a  good  deal  disappointed. 
There  are  no  works  of  art  here,  no  statuary,  no 


158       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  J 

paintings ;  commerce  is  king.  This  is  the  home  of 
the  celebrated  Lloyd  Steamers,  which  leave  once 
a  week  for  Constantinople,  Alexandria,  Smyrna, 
&c.  Ships  from  all  parts  of  the  world  are  here, 
and  on  the  quays  are  seen  large  quantities  of  cotton 
being  reshipped  to  the  various  portions  of  the 
Austrian  empire. 

I  went  to-day  to  the  celebrated  Tergesteum,  (a 
species  of  cafe,)  and  spent  an  hour  in  the  conver- 
sation rooms.  While  I  was  sipping  my  coffee,  a 
turbaned  Turk  as  black  as  the  ace  of  spades,  with 
a  shirt  nearly  as  black  as  his  skin,  came  up  and 
took  a  seat  by  me  on  the  large  sofa,  crossed  his 
legs,  and  began  puffing  away  his  horrid  tobacco 
smoke  under  my  very  nose.  I  felt  like  "  taking  by 
the  throat  the  circumcised  dog,"  and  smiting  him 
until  he  should  know  how  to  treat  a  Christian  gen- 
tleman, but  recollected  that  I  was  in  Austria. 
Here  soldiers  march  and  counter-march.  The  roll 
of  the  drum  is  heard  nearly  every  hour  of  the  day. 
At  every  corner  of  the  street  you  see  a  man  with 
a  long  moustache  and  a  gleaming  bayonet.  I  saw 
in  the  market  this  morning  fine  figs  and  olives, 
peaches,  apples,  and  melons,  with  any  quantity  of 
macaroni,  raw,  baked,  fried,  and  stewed !  Disgust- 
ing thing  that  macaroni !  your  real  Turk  eats  it 
with  his  fingers. 

On  my  way  here  from  Vienna,  I  met  with  quite 
an  adventure  ;  I  got  into  a  row  with  the  conductor. 
I  had  bought  a  through  ticket ;  at  the  first  sta- 
tion after  leaving  Vienna  the  conductor  came  along 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  159 

and  asked  for  my  ticket,  (billet ;)  I  gave  it  to  him, 
and  he  passed  on  without  clipping  and  returning 
it,  as  he  should  have  done.  At  the  next  station  he 
came  along,  and  again  asked  for  my  ticket.  I  told 
him  that  he  had  it,  and  that  it  was  a  through  ticket 
to  Trieste.  This  he  denied  in  a  very  emphatic 
manner.  Here  I  of  course  was  in  a  dilemma,  quar- 
relling with  an  Austrian  in  very  bad  French  !  In 
the  height  and  fury  of  our  quarrel,  a  stranger  sit- 
ting by  me,  a  well-dressed  and  very  intelligent 
Austrian,  came  to  my  relief.  He  could  speak  a 
little  English  and  a  little  French,  enough  to  make 
himself  understood.  We  made  the  conductor  count 
over  his  through  tickets,  and  among  them  mine 
was  found.  The  poor  fellow  made  many  apologies 
for  his  mistake,  and  during  the  route  frequently  took 
occasion  to  show  me  more  than  ordinary  attention. 
My  new  acquaintance  (the  Austrian  gentleman)  on 
hearing  that  I  was  an  American,  asked  a  thousand 
questions  about  our  country,  and  expressed  a  great 
desire  to  visit  a  land  where  the  iron  heel  of  despot- 
ism could  not  oppress  the  poor.  He  resided  in 
the  town  of  Gratz  at  the  foot  of  the  Alps,  and  left 
us  on  arriving  at  that  place.  He  shook  me  warmly 
by  the  hand  and  said,  "  Mynheer,  adieu,  I  wish  you 
une  bonne  voyage — I  loves  Amerique.  I  shall  see 
him  yet  before  I  die — may  God  mit  his  blessings 
go  mit  you  and  your  grande  Republique."  This  is 
the  feeling  everywhere  in  Europe  in  regard  to  our 
country,  particularly  among  the  middle  and  work- 
ing classes.    They  all  wish  us  God  speed.     Our 


160       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  J 

only  enemies,  strange  to  say,  are  to  be  found  at 
home,  living  under  the  same  stars  and  stripes. 

Since  writing  the  above  I  have  had  dinner — 
beef-steak  bad — pomme  de  terre  worse — wine — 
Cyprus  wine — oh  Lord  !  it  tastes  more  like  squills 
or  syrup  of  Ipecacuanha,  than  the  juice  of  the  grape. 
I  drank  a  bottle  of  it — of  course  it  made  me  sick. 
Took  a  sail-boat,  and  went  a  sailing  on  the  Adriatic. 
Expected  every  moment  to  meet  the  Doge,  but 
didn't  do  it.  Passed  a  couple  of  Austrian  regiments 
drilling  on  the  pjlateau  ;  they  looked  very  fine  sol- 
diers, moved  like  clock-work.  All  did  no  good, 
however,  at  Magenta  and  Solferino  :  they  have 
a  plenty  of  bone  and  muscle,  but  lack  the  brain. 
Sailed  down  to  Capo  d'Istria,  and  saw  the  shores 
of  Croatia  ;  tacked  about  for  the  light-house  in  the 
Gulf  of  Trieste,  and  there,  from  the  top  of  said 
light-house,  saw  the  monarch  of  day  sink  to  his 
rest  in  the  bosom  of  the  tranquil  Adriatic — a 
glorious  sight  and  one  that  I  shall  never  forget. 

Tours  truly, 

H.  W.  A. 


OB,  BIX  MONTHS  IN  EUBOPE.  161 


LETTEE    NO.  XXIII. 

Hotel  de  l'Europe,  Venice,  Italy, 
September  23,  1859. 

Editoks  Advocate  : 

"  I  stood  in  Venice  on  the  bridge  of  sighs, 
A  palace  and  a  prison  on  each  hand." 

On  yesterday  morning,  at  sunrise,  I  arrived  in 
this  city  of  palaces,  "  that  spring  from  the  sea." 
The  first  human  being  I  saw  was  an  Austrian  sol- 
dier. There  are  now  in  Venitia  260,000  Austrian 
soldiers,  and  all  seem  ready  to  have  another  fight 
for  the  honor  of  the  House  of  Hapsburg.  The  Ve- 
netians are  very  much  dissatisfied  with  the  treaty 
of  Villa  Franca,  and  are  daily  giving  Austria 
much  trouble.  Last  night  as  I  was  walking  along 
the  Piazza  di  San  Marco,  I  heard  the  report  of  two 
guns.  I  went  in  the  direction  whence  the  crowd 
was  rushing,  and  found  two  Italians  lying  dead, 
weltering  in  their  own  blood.  They  had  attempted 
to  take  the  muskets  from  the  Austrian  soldiers, 
while  they  were  on  guard.     It  is  generally  believed 


162       TKAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

that  before  spring  the  Austrian  soldiers  will  enter 
Milan.  All  classes  here  are  down  on  Napoleon 
for  not  freeing  them  from  Austrian  tyranny.  It 
seems  to  be  a  national  idea.  Even  the  Lazzaroni, 
who  live  by  begging  and  stealing,  are  long  and 
loud  in  their  curses  of  Napoleon. 

Venice  is  a  city  sui  generis.  It  has  a  population 
of  100,000  inhabitants.  This  is  the  only  city  in 
the  world,  I  believe,  in  which  there  are  no  carriages 
or  horses,  cattle  or  asses.  (Fortunate  city  that,  in 
which  there  are  no  asses  !)  The  city  is  divided  by 
a  grand  canal,  into  which  a  thousand  small  canals 
lead,  and  is  built  on  72  islands.  All  the  travel  is 
done  by  gondolas.  These  are  long,  narrow  boats, 
invariably  painted  black.  They  have  movable 
covers,  and  generally  carry  four  persons.  As  these 
dark-looking  boats  skim  along  the  silent  canals, 
they  remind  you  more  of  hearses  than  any  thing 
else.  The  gondolier  is  a  hardy,  dark-looking  man, 
and  handles  his  oar  with  great  ease  and  dexterity. 
To  while  away  the  time,  he  generally  sings  some 
Italian  sonnet,  and  thus  makes  your  voyage  very 
agreeable. 

Venice  is  rich  in  churches  and  private  palaces. 
There  are  30  cathedrals  here,  all  possessing  great 
interest  to  the  traveller.  But  the  pride  of  Venice 
is  San  Marco.  This  is  the  most  remarkable  build- 
ing in  the  world,  for  precious  stones  and  rare  mar- 
bles. The  interior  is  literally  one  entire  mosaic. 
There  are  no  paintings  in  oil.  The  altar-piece  is 
of  solid  gold,  and  thickly  set  with  precious  stones. 


OR,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUROPE.         103 

The  front  doors  of  the  cathedral  are  of  bronze,  and 
were  brought  from  Constantinople.  On  entering 
this  church  you  are  completely  bewildered,  in  look- 
ing at  the  great  profusion  of  porphyry,  verde  an- 
tique, alabaster,  lapis  lazuli,  and  every  other  kind 
and  color  of  precious  stones  and  marbles,  from  all 
parts  of  the  world.  When  I  first  heard  that  beau- 
tiful song, 

"I  dreamed  that  I  dwelt  in  marble  halls," 

I  never  expected  to  have  it  in  my  power  to  realize 
the  poet's  idea.  San  Marco  is  now  the  noblest 
specimen  the  world  has  ever  produced  of  "marble 
halls,"  for  it  is  so  rich  and  splendid,  that  upon  be- 
holding it,  you  would  almost  swear  that  Aladdin, 
with  his  powerful  lamp,  had  been  there.  The 
square  fronting  the  cathedral  is  called  the  Piazza 
di  San  Marco,  and  here  are  collected  the  fashion 
and  elite  of  the  city  in  the  evening,  to  listen  to  the 
imperial  band,  to  promenade,  make  love  and  drink 
coffee.  I  must  confess  that  I  do  not  think  the  Ve- 
netian ladies  so  "  killing  pretty."  From  Lord  By- 
ron,- down  to  the  lesser  poets,  all  have  gone  quite 
crazy  about  the  dark  flowing  tresses,  large  lan- 
guishing eyes,  and  sylph-like  forms  of  the  Vene- 
tian ladies.  I  saw  none  of  these  angelic  beings  ; 
those  I  saw  were  any  thing  but  beautiful.  They 
all  look  sad,  sorrowful,  and  sulky  ;  half-starved, 
yellow-skinned,  and  bony.  I  saw  them  by  day  and 
also  by  night,  when  they  looked  no  better. 

The  gondoliers  and  beggars  make  up  about  one- 


164:  TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

half  of  the  population  of  Venice.  Wherever  you 
go,  on  the  street,  in  the  palace,  in  the  church,  at 
the  hotel,  the  eternal  beggars  are  sure  to  find  you. 
There  are  many  very  fine  private  palaces  here, 
all  of  which  are  thrown  open  to  the  public,  and 
for  a  small  sum  to  the  porter,  you  can  go  through 
their  elegant  chambers  and  fine  galleries  of  paint- 
ings. In  one  of  them  to-day  I  saw  the  chef  d'oeu- 
vre  of  the  great  Conova,  his  Ajax  and  Hector. 
These  palaces  are  filled  with  an  immense  number 
of  fine  paintings  by  the  old  masters,  and  some  of 
the  very  best  statuary  in  Italy.  The  rooms  are 
cased  with  variegated  marble,  the  floors  with  mo- 
saics, and  the  ceilings  covered  with  frescoes,  mak- 
ing them  the  most  elegant  and  luxurious  chambers 
I  ever  saw.  The  Palazzo  Grimian  belongs  to  the 
Duchess  de  Berri,  who  spends  her  winters  here, 
and  gives  most  magnificent  parties.  Another  pal- 
ace belongs  to  the  celebrated  danseuse  Taglioni, 
who  also  spends  her  winters  here,  and  entertains 
handsomely.  All  of  these  palaces  are  splendid  in- 
side, and  kept  in  very  neat  and  elegant  order,  but 
show  a  dilapidated  exterior.  The  marble  has  been 
eaten  away  by  the  "  hungry  tooth  of  time ; "  the 
walls  are  blackened  and  always  damp,  while  sea- 
weeds and  barnacles  cling  to  the  very  sills  of  the 
doors. 

The  residences  of  Mrs.  Adams  and  of  Messrs. 
Andrews  and  Randolph  of  Iberville,  are  far  more 
showy  and  much  more  comfortable  than  any  pri- 
vate palace  in  Yienna.     The  Rialto  is  a  marble 


OR,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUROPE.         165 

bridge  across  the  Canalazzo,  or  grand  canal,  and 
has  a  span  of  100  feet.  It  is  very  solid  and  com- 
pact, being  entirely  bnilt  of  pure  marble.  This  is 
the  place  where  Shylock  and  Antonio  met  once 
upon  a  time,  and  here  the  merchants  of  Venice  did 
"  mostly  congregate."  But,  alas  !  what  a  falling  off 
is  there.  This  bridge  now,  instead  of  being  the 
popular  resort  for  the  wealthy  merchants,  is  occu- 
pied by  stalls  for  the  sale  of  miserable  cheap  jew- 
elry and  children's  toys.  The  principal  trade, 
however,  on  the  Rialto,  seems  to  be  in  onions  and 
mushrooms.  Here  in  the  very  centre  of  the  bridge, 
are  stacks  of  onions ;  onions  in  baskets,  onions  on 
strings,  onions  in  every  conceivable  shape  and  man- 
ner. The  Yenetian  ladies  are  said  to  be  very  fond 
of  this  esculent,  and  labor  under  the  happy  belief 
that  the  aroma  of  the  onion  is  a  most  delicious  and 
delicate  perfume. 

The  Palazzo  Ducale  is  one  of  the  most  remarka- 
ble  palaces  in  Yenice.  It  adjoins  the  San  Marco, 
and  was  for  many  years  the  residence  of  the  doges. 
It  is  filled  with  many  fine  paintings,  many  of  them 
of  gigantic  size.  Underneath  this  palace  are  the 
state-prisons.  From  the  Ducal  Palace  is  a  narrow 
way  that  leads  to  the  "  Bridge  of  Sighs,"  or  as  the 
Italians  call  it,  Ponte  di  Sospiri.  It  is  a  high,  cov- 
ered, narrow  stone  bridge,  that  leads  from  the  Hall 
of  Justice  to  the  prisons.  The  state  prisoners  were 
sent  by  a  secret  passage  to  the  hall  of  justice.  If 
condemned,  they  were  sent  across  this  fatal  bridge 
to  the  dark,  deep  dungeons,  "  whence  no  unfortu- 


166       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

nate  traveller  ever  returned."  When  I  stood  upon 
this  Bridge  of  Sighs,  I  thought  of  the  thousands  of 
unhappy  wretches  who  had  trodden  these  cold 
stones,  on  their  wav  to  torture  and  to  death.  But 
the  murderers  and  the  murdered  have  long  since 
appeared  before  a  just  and  upright  Judge;  and 
many  a  cruel  prince  and  wicked  doge  have  been 
compelled  to  walk  that  eternal  bridge  of  sighs,  into 
far  deeper  and  blacker  dungeons  than  were  ever 
seen  in  Venice. 

I  have  spent  this  day  pretty  much  in  my  gon- 
dola, and  have  threaded  every  hole  and  corner  in 
this  singular  city.  There  are  4,000  gondolas  in 
Venice.  You  hire  them  generally  by  the  hour. 
The  usual  price  per  hour  is  1  zwanziger,  or  14 
cents.  Venice  is  certainly  a  very  bad  place  for  a 
drunken  man,  for  the  deep  salt  water  (20  feet  deep) 
comes  up  to  the  very  door-sill  of  every  house,  the 
tide  rising  here  only  about  3  feet.  The  city  re- 
minds one  of  Cairo,  (Illinois,)  or  Napoleon,  (Arkan- 
sas,) or  Lake  Providence,  (La.,)  in  time  of  a  crevasse. 
If  I  were  the  father  of  a  dozen  or  more  children, 
I  do  not  think  I  should  settle  in  Venice,  unless 
they  were  all  web-footed. 

Ever  since  I  have  been  here  I  have  involunta- 
rily been  on  the  look-out  for  old  Shylock  and  An- 
tonio, for  the  Moor  and  his  Lieutenant  Cassio,  for 
Pierre  and  Priuli.  Alas !  they  have  all  gone  to 
their  long  homes.  The  gonfalons  of  Venice  no 
longer  wave  from  the  Piazzo  San  Marco.  Her 
winged  lions  crouch  before  the  double  eagle  of  her 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS  IK  EUROPE.         167 

conqueror,  "while  the  very  palace  of  the  doges  has 
become  a  common  barrack  for  Austrian  soldiers. 

In  going  to  the  Cafe  Florian  to-day,  I  met  a 
Shylock — a  veritable  Shylock.  As  he  passed  me 
with  a  bag  of  gold  in  his  hand,  he  gave  it  a  closer 
grip,  and  stared  at  me  as  if  he  could  cut  a  pound 
of  Christian  flesh  from  next  my  heart,  without  even 
batting  his  eyes. 

Venice  is  perhaps  more  remarkable  for  its 
beautiful  Piazzo  San  Marco,  than  any  thing  else. 
It  is  a  large  oblong  area,  562  feet  long  by  232  wide, 
and  is  surrounded  by  elegant  buildings  on  every 
side.  In  the  Piazza  is  a  lofty  square  tower  or  cam- 
panile, 316  feet  high  and  42  feet  square.  From 
the  top  of  this  tower  the  prospect  is  truly  delight- 
ful. On  one  side  you  see  the  mouths  of  the  Adige 
and  the  Po,  and  on  the  other  the  placid  waters  of 
the  beautiful  Adriatic. 

Venice  has  given  the  world  some  of  the  best 
painters.  Here  were  born  Titian  and  Tintoretto. 
This  was  the  home  of  Paul  Veronese,  and  the 
great  Leonardo  da  Vinci. 

Venice  has  but  little  commerce.  Its  revenues 
are  all  absorbed  by  the  Austrian  rulers,  to  support 
their  immense  standing  army.  Occasionally  an 
American  ship  comes  here,  loaded  with  cotton  or 
tobacco.  But  the  principal  revenue  brought  to  the 
city  is  by  strangers.  Many  English  and  Ameri- 
cans spend  their  winters  here,  and  thus  distribute 
a  good  deal  of  money. 

Watches  and  jewelry  of  all  kinds,  particularly 


168       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER; 

a  very  delicate  species  of  gold  chain,  are  manufac- 
tured here  in  large  quantities.  But  one  thing  J 
was  surprised  to  see,  or  rather  not  to  see.  There 
is  not  a  Venetian  Hind  in  all  Venice  ! 

To  our  very  popular  consul,  Mr.  Sarmiento,  of 
Philadelphia,  I  am  under  many  obligations.  He 
showed  me  much  attention,  and  contributed  much 
to  my  enjoyment  while  in  Venice. 

Yours  truly, 

H.  W.  A. 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUROPE.  169 


LETTER    NO.   XXIV. 

Hotel  de  la  Rose,  Milan,  Italy, 
Sept.  26.  1859. 

Editors  Advocate  : 

From  Venice  to  Milan  is  176  miles — fare  by- 
rail  32  liras,  or  about  $5  50.  I,  however,  did  not 
go  on  directly  to  Milan,  but  stopped  at  Padua,  Ve- 
rona, and  Solferino.  Padua  is  an  old,  seedy  place, 
with  the  grass  growing  in  the  middle  of  the  streets. 
It  has  a  few  fine  churches,  and  a  university,  which 
is  still  much  patronized  by  Italian  students.  The 
public  square  or  grand  piazza  is  a  very  pretty  place 
filled  with  statues.  I  noticed  in  one  of  the  largest 
and  finest  churches  of  Padua,  a  large  quantity  of 
army  stores — barrels  of  meal,  and  bread,  and  oats, 
all  piled  upon  the  beautiful  tessellated  marble  floors ! 
What  a  desecration  !  In  this  church  is  a  painting 
by  Paul  Veronese,  which  would  command  almost 
any  price  in  our  country,  but  it  hangs  now  on 
deserted  walls,  as  the  priest  refuses  to  perform 
divine  service  in  a  church  desecrated  by  a  tyran- 
8 


170       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

nical  soldiery.  Padua  is  23  miles  by  rail  from 
Venice,  and  has  a  population  of  50,000  inhabitants. 
It  followed  the  fortunes  of  Venice,  and  is  now  a 
part  of  the  Lombardo- Venetian  kingdom.  Its 
Palace  of  Justice  contains  an  immense  chamber,  or 
hall,  covered  with  many  curious  frescoes.  I  noticed 
in  Giotto's  chapel  a  most  remarkable  piece  of  art ; 
it  is  by  the  sculptor  Agostino  Fasolata,  and  is 
called  "  Lucifer  and  his  companions  cast  out  from 
Heaven."  It  is  composed  of  60  figures,  all  carved 
out  of  one  block  of  Carrara  marble.  The  Cafe 
Peddrochi  is  the  finest  building  of  the  kind  in 
Italy,  and  kept  in  a  very  elegant  manner.  After 
spending  the  day  in  Padua,  I  got  a  most  excellent 
dinner  at  the  Hotel  de  la  Stella  d'Or,  and  set  out 
late  in  the  evening  for  Verona. 

From  Padua  to  Verona  is  50  miles.  Already 
the  atmosphere  told  me  that  I  was  among  the 
mountains,  for  the  night  became  cool  and  pleasant. 
After  a  delightful  night's  rest,  I  took  breakfast  on 
melons  and  fruits,  and  began  my  daily  labors. 

Verona  is  situated  near  the  gorges  of  the  Tyrol, 
and  is  surrounded  by  the  fortresses  of  Peschiera, 
Mantua,  and  Legnago.  It  is  inclosed  by  a  series 
of  turreted  walls,  and  the  cannon  frown  down  upon 
you  in  every  direction  from  rampart,  bastion,  and 
parapet.  The  Adige,  a  bold  and  muddy  stream, 
divides  Verona  into  almost  equal  parts.  It  is  a 
rapid  river,  that  rushes  down  from  the  Tyrolese 
Alps,  and  furnishes  great  water  power  to  the  man- 
ufacturers of  silks,  and  woollens,  and  cottons.     The 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUROPE.         171 

current  is  so  rapid  that  the  mills  are  all  turned  by 
breast-wheels  simply  placed  in  the  water,  and  the 
machinery  attached  thereto. 

Yerona  has  a  population  of  4S,000  inhabitants, 
and  contains  the  most  perfect  ancient  amphitheatre 
in  existence.  It  is  in  a  perfect  state  of  repair,  and 
is  almost  nightly  used  as  a  theatre.  It  is  1,533  feet 
in  circumference,  and  100  feet  high,  and  is  filled 
with  a  regular  succession  of  stone  steps  or  seats. 
This  immense  amphitheatre  will  comfortably  seat 
30,000  persons  at  a  time  !  Here  it  was  that  gladi- 
ators fought  to  amuse  the  assembled  mob  of  noble 
Komans,  and  it  was  here  that  many  a  primitive 
Christian  was  torn  to  pieces  by  wild  beasts. 

Shakspeare  lias  located  two  of  his  best  plays  in 
Yerona — the  two  Gentlemen  of  Yerona,  and  Eomeo 
and  Juliet.  The  tomb  of  Juliet  is  yet  seen  in  the 
garden  of  the  Orfanotroh'o.  It  is  of  red  Yerona 
marble,  and  is  much  injured  by  visitors,  who  not 
only  scratch  their  names  all  over  it,  but  break  off 
pieces  and  carry  them  away.  Poor  Juliet,  she 
had  a  hard  time  of  it — for  death,  not  Eomeo,  came 
and  took  her  maiden  heart.  Yerona  is  said  to  be 
rich  in  ancient  curiosities  and  literature.  Here 
are  the  tombs  of  the  Scaligers,  a  curious  monu- 
ment of  the  middle  ages.  It  is  remarkable  for 
its  dye-works  and  silk  manufactures,  in  which  de- 
partments the  Yeronese  excel  all  other  Italians. 
Many  distinguished  men  were  born  here,  among 
them  Cornelius  Nepos,  Catullus,  the  elder  Pliny, 
Paul  Yeronese,  and  the  Marquis  Maffei. 


172       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

From  Verona  to  what  they  now  call  the  frontier 
is  a  short  distance,  only  8  miles.  Here  is  Pes- 
chiera,  where  the  Mincio  leaves  the  Lago  di  Garda, 
and  is  now  the  terminus  of  Austrian  territory.  Be- 
tween this  place  and  the  next  Italian  town,  Desen- 
zano,  was  fought  the  great  battle  of  Solferino.  I 
stopped  here  two  hours  and  examined  the  localities. 
It  is  the  nicest  place  in  the  world  for  a  fight,  as 
our  friend  Sir  Lucius  O'Trigger  would  say.  The 
village  of  Solferino  is  off  the  road  about  six  miles, 
and  is  situated  on  a  hill.  Here  the  Austrians  were 
intrenched,  with  their  lines  extending  across  the 
railroad.  The  whole  country  around  is  a  level 
plain,  and  is  one  large  mulberry  orchard.  In 
order  to  obstruct  the  French  cavalry  as  much  as 
possible,  the  Austrians  cut  down  all  the  mulberry 
trees  for  miles,  and  dug  ditches  in  every  direction, 
but  all  this  did  no  good  ;  the  Zouaves  and  Turcos 
leaped  ditches,  mulberry  trees,  and  every  thing  else, 
and  bayoneted  the  Austrians  at  their  very  guns. 
At  present  there  is  but  little  or  no  sign  of  the  great 
and  bloody  battle,  except  the  numerous  fresh-made 
graves.  In  one  trench  alone  lie  the  bodies  of  800 
soldiers,  and  there  they  will  lie,  till  Gabriel  shall 
sound  a  far  louder  blast  than  ever  was  heard  on 
the  dreadful  field  of  Solferino. 

"Within  a  few  yards  of  each  other  are  stationed 
the  Austrian  and  Sardinian  sentries,  for  this  whole 
country  is  yet  a  military  camp.  Just  as  soon  as 
you  cross  the  Sardinian  line,  you  see  the  differ- 
ence.    In  Austrian  Italy  all  is   silent,  dark,  and 


OK,  SIX    MONTHS    IN    EUROPE.  173 


dreary.  You  seldom,  if  ever,  hear  any  conversation 
in  the  cars ;  and  when  a  man  speaks,  he  always 
looks  around  to  see  who  is  present.  But  in  Sar- 
dinia, every  man  and  woman  is  discussing  freely 
Italian  politics.  There  is  mirth  and  laughter,  and 
even  song,  while  everybody  is  hurrahing  for  Vic- 
tor Emanuel.  While  in  the  cars,  I  witnessed  a 
very  animated  and  rather  acrimonious  discussion 
between  a  lady  from  Milan  and  a  gentleman  from 
Venice.  The  subject  was  Garibaldi.  The  lady 
seemed  devoted  to  him,  and  praised  him  above 
all  others  ;  declared  him  to  be  her  beau  ideal  of  a 
hero  and  a  brave  man.  The  gentleman,  by  the 
way  a  very  well-dressed,  intelligent  person,  de- 
nounced him  as  a  pitiful  upstart — a  miserable,  rob- 
bing, fillibustering  scoundrel,  who  had  no  home, 
but  like  an  Arab  was  wandering:  about,  and  selling 
himself  to  fight  where  there  was  no  chance  of  being 
killed.  Both  parties  became  very  much  excited, 
and  I  looked  every  moment  to  see  the  lady  draw 
her  stiletto,  and  stab  the  traducer  of  Garibaldi  to 
the  heart,  for  I  find  that  he  is  almost  idolized  here. 
Besides,  the  women  of  Italy  are  passionate ;  and 
all  carry  a  nice  little  stiletto,  a  perfect  love  of  a 
thing,  secreted  in  the  ample  folds  of  their  dresses. 
No  blood,  however,  was  shed,  for  we  were  now  ar- 
rived at  Milan,  and  all  hastened  to  the  hotel,  it 
being  late  at  night. 

Milan  is  an  immense  city.  It  has  nearly 
200,000  inhabitants,  and  for  ages  has  been  the 
capital  of  Lombardy,  and  the  centre  of  the  fashion, 


174       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

and  intelligence,  and  wealth  of  Northern  Italy. 
The  climate  here  is  much  colder,  and  the  people 
appear  almost  a  different  race  of  beings  from  the 
Venetians.  They  are  line,  stout,  good-looking  men, 
who  stood  up  at  Solferino  like  clever  fellows,  and 
gave  the  Austrians  the  very  d — 1.  Milan  is  at 
present  entertaining  the  six  deputies  who  came  to 
Bee  Victor  Emanuel  from  the  states  of  the  Eo- 
magna.  Last  night  the  city  was  beautifully  illu- 
minated, and  the  deputies  made  speeches  from  the 
balconies  of  the  La  Scala  to  the  people.  Every 
thing  went  off  finely.  Although  there  was  a  very 
large  gathering,  still  there  was  no  disturbance  of 
any  kind,  or  even  unpleasant  accident  to  mar  the 
pleasures  of  the  evening.  The  people  of  Lombardy 
sympathize  very  much  with  their  brethren  of  Bo- 
logna and  Ferrara,  and  the  rest  of  the  Papal  states, 
and  are  determined  to  free  them  from  their  present 
tyranny. 

There  are  many  fine  works  of  art  here,  in  paint- 
ing and  statuary..  The  modern  living  artists  appear 
to  excel,  and  are  well  patronized.  In  the  Brera 
(the  Gallery  of  Arts)  I  found  a  large  number  of 
very  fine  paintings,  mostly  however  by  living  artists, 
who  are  to  be  seen  here  daily  at  work  amid  the 
throng  of  strangers  who  are  crowding  Milan  at 
present.  In  the  Refectory  of  the  church  of  Santa 
Maria  delle  Grazie  is  the  world-renowned  painting 
of  "  The  Last  Supper,"  by  Leonardo  da  Vinci.  Al- 
though much  injured  by  time,  and  more  by  the 
damp  walls,  still  it  is  a  magnificent  work  of  genius, 


OK,  SIX    MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  175 

from  which  copies  are  being  taken  continually. 
The  original  painting  is  a  fresco,  and  covers  the 
whole  of  one  end  of  the  Refectory. 

Yesterday  was  Sunday.  I  went  to  hear  mass 
at  the  Duomo,  the  great  cathedral,  second  only  to 
St.  Peter's  at  Eome.  It  is  500  feet  long,  350  feet 
high,  and  275  feet  wide,  all  built  of  solid  white 
marble,  a  most  astonishing  work  of  architectural 
art.  The  roof  is  supported  by  60  immense  pillars 
of  marble,  twelve  feet  in  diameter.  The  entire 
cathedral  is  literally  covered  with  statuary.  It 
was  illuminated  last  night,  and  as  I  came  in  from 
Lake  Como,  the  cupola  looked  like  an  immense 
ball  of  fire  suspended  in  the  air. 

I  took  rail  yesterday,  and  went  out  to  Lake  Como 
— one  hour's  ride — and  there  spent  the  day,  having 
taken  a  steamer  that  makes  the  usual  tour  of  the 
lake  daily,  returning  to  the  town  of  Como  in  the 
evening,  in  time  for  the  cars  to  Milan.  This  is  a 
lovely  lake  :  Bulwer,  in  his  "  Lady  of  Lyons,"  has 
not  overdrawn  the  picture.  Nature  has  been  lavish 
in  her  works  here,  and  what  she  has  failed  to  do, 
art  has  supplied.  The  shores  of  Como  do  not  pos- 
sess the  rich  cultivation  of  Zurich,  nor  the  wild 
grandeur  of  Lucerne  ;  the  water  is  not  so  blue  as 
Leman,  nor  so  deep  and  secluded  as  Loch  Lomond, 
but  the  hundreds  of  beautiful  villas  and  elegant 
palaces  that  spring  from  the  very  water's  edge,  the 
numerous  fountains  and  fairy  grottoes,  the  rich 
green  of  the  olive  and  the  mulberry,  and  above  all, 
the  delightful  climate,  and   calm,  smooth  surface 


176       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

of  the  water,  "  glassing  softest  skies,"  makes  Lake 
Conio  the  most  lovely  spot  on  earth. 

The  principal  manufacture  of  Milan  is  silk. 
This  is  the  great  central  depot  for  the  silk  market 
of  Italy.  For  miles  around  the  city,  in  fact,  through 
the  whole  of  Northern  Italy,  the  mulberry  abounds 
and  is  the  main  growth,  on  the  leaves  of  which  the 
silkworm  is  fed.  There  *is  a  great  deal  of  style 
here.  The  streets  are  well  paved,  and  the  equi- 
pages gotten  up  with  great  taste.  While  here,  I 
have  visited  the  Opera,  La  Scala.  It  is  the  largest 
Opera  House  in  the  world,  and  can  comfortably 
seat  6,000  persons.  The  opera  given  was  Cleo- 
patra ;  the  ballet  was  magnificent.  There  were 
500  ballet  girls  at  one  time  on  the  stage,  and  such 
a  standing  on  big  toes,  and  sailing  of"  dry  goods," 
and  piroueting  around  generally,  was  never  seen 
before.  The  dancers  are  young  and  pretty,  and 
dress  with  great  taste.  Only  imagine  500  beauti- 
ful fairy  forms  before  you,  cutting  up  all  sorts  of 
didos.  It  is  enough  to  run  a  man  perfectly  crazy, 
and  make  him  wish  that  he  were  another  Briareus, 
with  a  hundred  arms,  to  hug  them  all  at  once.  I 
began  this  letter  at  Lake  Como,  and  am  now  fin- 
ishing it  on  the  battle-field  of  Magenta.  I  shall 
mail  it  at  Turin,  and  sleep  to-morrow  night  at 
.Genoa.  Adieu, 

Very  truly  yours, 

H.  W.  A 


0E,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUROPE.        177 


LETTEE    NO.  XXY. 

Genoa,  Italy,  Oct.  1, 1859. 
Editoes  Advocate  : 

Since  I  wrote  you  last  I  have  visited  Turin,  Al- 
essandria, and  Genoa.  I  found  Turin  quite  a  city, 
and  most  beautifully  situated  in  a  valley  between 
high  mountains.  It  has  a  population  of  125,000 
inhabitants,  and  is  the  capital  of  Piedmont,  and 
of  the  now  great  kingdom  of  Sardinia.  Yictor 
Emanuel  resides  here  in  great  state,  and  seems 
to  govern  a  prosperous  and  happy  people.  Of  all 
the  crowned  heads  of  Europe,  he  and  Napoleon 
are  the  only  ones  who  have  smelt  "  the  villanous 
saltpetre,"  on  the  battle-field.  The  Sardinian  king 
looks  every  inch  a  soldier,  and  is  evidently  no  car- 
pet knight. 

The  Royal  Palace  is  a  very  fine  building,  ele- 
gantly furnished  with  all  sorts  of  royal  finery.  In 
it  are  many  fine  paintings.  In  this  palace  is  a  full 
suite  of  rooms,  now  unoccupied,  belonging  to  the 
sister  of  the  king.  She  had  married  "  a  right 
8* 


178       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  : 


royal  husband,"  in  the  person  of  a  distinguished 
prince,  and  was  most  elegantly  domiciliated  in  the 
palace.  A  few  years  ago  her  husband  died,  and 
the  disconsolate  widow  married  an  humble  colonel. 
Court  etiquette  could  not  brook  this  misalliance, 
and  now,  on  the  banks  of  Lake  Como,  the  widow 
and  the  colonel  are  as  happy  as  two  turtle-doves., 

Turin  has  a  most  delightful  climate.  It  lies  be- 
tween the  Alps  and  Apennines,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Po.  This  river  here  is  quite  small  at  present,  but 
rises  to  a  great  and  fearful  height  in  the  spring,  when 
the  snows  melt.  Even  here  large  levees  have  to 
be  erected,  to  keep  in  the  "  swelling  flood,"  and 
when  they  break  a  vast  country  overflows,  carry- 
ing death  and  destruction  through  the  land. 

The  fruits  here  are  very  fine.  The  grapes  and 
figs  are  sweeter  than  in  any  part  of  Italy.  At  the 
hotels  they  give  you  bread  baked  in  a  very  singu- 
lar shape.  Imagine  a  handful  of  pipe-stems  about 
18  inches  long,  baked  brown,  and  placed  by  the 
side  of  your  plate,  and  you  can  form  some  idea  of 
the  fashion  of  baking  bread  in  Turin.  The  place 
has  the  air  of  a  capital  city ;  is  the  centre  of  the 
military  and  civil  power  of  the  kingdom,  and  is 
blessed  with  beautiful  fountains  and  wide  streets. 
The  second  stories  of  all  the  houses  project  over 
the  street,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  delightful 
walks  and  promenades,  even  in  bad  weather.  I 
have  seen  only  one  other  city  in  my  travels,  where 
these  comfortable  sidewalks  are  so  well  arranged, 
and  that  is  Berne,  the  capital  of  Switzerland. 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUKOPE.  179 


The  inhabitants  of  Turin  are  principally  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  silks.  The  surround- 
ing country  produces  rice  and  Indian  corn  in  large 
quantities. 

Yictor  Emanuel  seems  to  be  very  popular  here 
with  all  classes,  and  has  in  a  large  degree  the  af- 
fections of  his  people.  For  several  years  a  strange 
quarrel  has  been  going  on  between  him  and  the 
pope.  The  court  of  Sardinia,  at  the  suggestion  of 
Count  Cavour,  the  prime  minister,  has  sold  a  very 
large  property  belonging  to  the  church  and  the 
monasteries,  and  placed  the  proceeds  in  the  treas- 
ury of  the  state.  The  church,  of  course,  protested, 
and  the  pope  was  appealed  to.  The  Holy  Father 
ordered  the  sales  to  be  cancelled  and  the  property 
restored,  but  unfortunately  Victor  Emanuel  is  king 
in  his  own  realm,  and  sets  the  decrees  of  the  pope 
at  defiance.  It  is  said  that  a  bull  will  soon  be  is- 
sued from  "  Imperial  Rome." 

The  political  excitement  here  is  very  great. 
Count  Cavour  has  resigned,  and  retired  to  the  coun- 
try to  live,  for  he  boldly  says  that  Piedmont  is  now 
nothing  but  a  dependence  to  France.  The  Zouaves 
are  still  in  Milan  in  large  numbers,  while  the 
streets  of  Genoa  are  filled  with  soldiers.  From 
one  end  of  Piedmont  to  the  other  drums  are  beat- 
ing, bayonets  are  gleaming,  and  all  seems  ready 
for  another  conflict. 

From  Turin  to  Genoa  you  go  by  railway ;  dis- 
tance 103  miles  ;  fare  16  francs.  On  the  route  the 
most  remarkable  places  are   "  the  battle-field  of 


180       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER 


Marengo,"  and  the  fortress  of  Alessandria.  This 
celebrated  battle-field  lies  close  to  the  village  of 
Marengo,  and  is  seen  from  the  railroad.  The  vil- 
lage is  insignificant  in  itself,  but  has  given  the 
name  to  one  of  "  the  bloodiest  pictures  in  the  book 
of  time."  It  is  an  elevated  plain  on  the  banks  of 
the  Tanaro,  and  not  far  from  Alessandria,  where 
the  Bormida  joins  the  Tanaro,  making  quite  a 
stream.  Alessandria  has  for  ages  been  a  fortress 
that  is  deemed  impregnable.  It  is  considered  the 
key  to  the  whole  of  this  country,  and  is  kept  in 
good  repair  and  well  garrisoned.  It  was  to  this 
place  that  poor  old  Melas,  the  Austrian  general, 
rode  in  great  haste  to  inform  the  authorities  that 
he  had  gained  the  victory  at  Marengo.  But  most 
unfortunately  for  him,  Desaix  came  up  and  rallied 
the  French  soldiers,  when  upon  a  second  charge 
the  tables  were  turned ;  the  Austrians  were  van- 
quished, and  poor  old  Melas  had  to  sue  for  peace, 
and  take  such  terms  as  Napoleon  saw  proper  to 
give. 

The  country  around  here  looks  unhealthy.  It  is 
all  subject  to  overflow,  and  breeds  terrible  fevers. 
Before  reaching  Genoa  the  face  of  the  country,  for 
many  miles,  assumes  a  rugged  and  broken  appear- 
ance. The  cork-tree  here  assumes  its  amplest  pro- 
portions, and  presents  its  bare  and  naked  trunk  to 
the  curious  gaze  of  every  passer-by.  This  cork- 
tree is  a  species  of  glandiferous  quercus,  and  re- 
sembles in  a  great  degree  our  live-oak.  It  is  an 
evergreen,  and  grows  to  a  large  size.     Our  pat- 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN    EUROPE.  181 


ent  office  lias  distributed  large  quantities  of  acorns 
through  the  country,  and  I  do  hope  the  tree  may 
flourish  in  our  land,  as  it  would  be  very  desirable 
to  plant  such  a  tree  in  our  villages  and  court-yards, 
where  everybody  has  an  indefeasible  right  to  tie 
everybody's  horse  to  a  shade-tree,  and  let  every- 
body's aforesaid  horse  bite,  "destroy,  and  com- 
pletely eat  up  the  aforesaid  shade-trees.  Now  the 
cork-tree  will  be  the  very  thing,  for  the  more  you 
bite  it  the  better  it  grows.  It  likes  to  be  bit.  You 
could  not  please  it  better. 

Genoa  is  a  great  city.  It  has  improved  very 
much  since  the  days  of  Christopher  Columbus,  and 
now  rivals  Marseilles.  It  has  a  population  of 
150,000  inhabitants.  The  principal  capital  seems 
to  be  invested  in  shipping,  for  this  is  a  great  sea- 
port. There  are  also  large  manufactories  here  of 
silks  and  velvets  ;  of  gold  and  silver  filagree  work ; 
of  all  kinds  of  jewelry,  and  quite  an  extensive 
trade  carried  on  in  paintings  and  statuary. 

The  ladies  of  Genoa  dress  very  beautifully ; 
they  all  wear  a  long  white  veil  thrown  over  "their 
heads,  which  gives  them  a  fairy-like  appearance. 
I  did  not  see  a  bonnet  in  all  Genoa.  The  streets 
are  very  narrow ;  in  many  parts  of  the  city  the 
smallest  carriage  cannot  pass.  Every  thing  is 
packed  on  mules.  The  city  is  called  "  Genoa 
Superba,"  on  account  of  its  numerous  marble  pal- 
aces. The  two  finest  streets,  the  Kuovo  and  the 
Nuovissimo,  are  indeed  magnificent  specimens  of 
Italian  grandeur.     The  city  is  situated  very  much 


182       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  I 


like  Yicksburg,  Mississippi,  and  is  a  good  deal 
"  up  and  down."  I  visited  many  of  the  private 
palaces,  and  found  in  them  an  immense  number  of 
paintings,  but  none  of  them  very  remarkable. 
The  universal  stone  here  is  marble;  marble  pal- 
aces and  marble  cottages ;  marble  churches  and 
marble  stables ! 

The  cathedrals  and  churches  are  among  the 
most  gorgeous  in  Europe.  The  St.  Lorenzo  is  a 
magnificent  pile,  with  columns  in  front  taken  at  the 
capture  of  Almeria,  and  transported  to  this  cathe- 
dral, as  part  of  the  spoils.  The  richest  portion  of 
the  church  is  the  chapel  of  St.  John  the  Baptist, 
into  which  no  female  is  permitted  to  enter,  an  ex- 
clusion imposed  by  Pope  Innocent  YIIL  The  Pa- 
lazzo Rossi  blazes  with  every  thing  that  elegant 
taste  could  suggest  or  money  buy.  It  is  one  mass 
of  fine  paintings,  rare  statuary,  and  gold  and  silver 
vessels  of  every  kind. 

The  fruits  here  are  delightful.  All  kinds  in  the 
greatest  profusion ;  oranges  and  bananas,  figs  and 
grapes,  peaches  and  pears. 

Asses,  huge  leather-lunged  fellows,  are  seen  and 
heard  at  every  corner  of  the  street,  while  the  mule- 
teer, with  his  long  whip,  is  driving  his  mules,  sin- 
gle file,  along  the  narrow  streets. 

The  harbor  is  a  most  excellent  one,  and  is  filled 
with  shipping  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  I 
thought  to  myself,  if  old  Christopher  could  only 
rise  from  his  tomb  some  bright  morning,  and  see 
our  ship  of  war,  the  Wabash,  (that  now  guards  the 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUKOPE.  183 

Mediterranean,)  come  into  port,  what  would  he 
say !  I  think,  after  examining  the  noble  ship  for  a 
while,  he  would  ask  to  have  one  broadside  fired, 
and  then,  amid  the  smoke  "  of  ignited  sulphur,"  he 
would  take  his  departure,  with  feelings  of  unspeak- 
able pleasure  and  pride,  that  his  own  Western  Con- 
tinent had  sent  to  the  old  world  such  a  noble  spe- 
cimen of  naval  architecture,  manned  by  such  a 
crew  of  gallant  seamen. 

Adieu.    I  shall  write  you  from  Pisa. 

Yours  truly, 

H.  W.  A. 


184      TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER; 


LETTER     NO.   XXVI. 

Pisa,  Italy,  Oct.  3, 1859. 
Editors  Advocate  : 

I  arrived  at  Leghorn  yesterday  morning,  after 
a  very  disagreeable  night  at  sea.  As  we  left 
Genoa  a  storm  came  on,  the  thunders  rolled,  the 
lightnings  flashed,  and  the  winds  blew.  I  wished 
myself  back  on  land  again,  a  thousand  times,  I  as- 
sure you,  for  I  became  very  sea-sick.  At  7  o'clock 
in  the  morning  we  reached  Leghorn,  where  a  new 
trouble  was  awaiting  me.  It  appears  that  there 
was  some  informality  in  my  passport,  and  I,  to- 
gether with  another  American,  was  detained  on 
board  the  ship,  and  forbidden  to  land.  I  wrote  to 
the  American  consul,  who  immediately  sent  me  a 
permit  from  the  local  police,  and  I  was  permitted, 
after  much  trouble,  to  land  in  the  one-liorse  city 
of  Leghorn.  The  American  whom  I  have  just 
alluded  to,  was  a  citizen  of  New  York,  so  said  his 
passport,  signed  by  Lewis  Cass,  Secretary  of  State ; 
but  strange  to  say,  he  could  not  speak  one  word  of 
English  !     He,  it  seems,  was  a  native  of  Florence, 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  185 

and  had  fled  many  years  ago,  "  for  his  country's 
good."  Now  the  revolution  had  taken  place — the 
Grand  Duke  had  fled — the  whole  country  had  de- 
clared for  Victor  Emanuel,  and  he  thought  it  a  good 
opportunity  to  visit  again  his  old  home,  and  the 
friends  of  his  youth.  On  his  arrival  in  Leghorn  he 
was  met  by  many  an  old  acquaintance,  and  such 
a  shaking  of  hands  and  kissing  (French  fashion)  I 
never  did  see. 

Leghorn  is  quite  a  city,  having  considerable 
manufactures  in  the  way  of  straw  hats  and  bonnets, 
silk  and  cotton  goods.  Here  is  also  carried  on 
quite  a  trade  in  amber,  coral,  mosaics,  and  cigars 
— the  best  cigars  I  have  seen  in  Europe,  for  this  is 
what  is  called  a  free  port.  It  is  the  seaport  for  Tus- 
cany and  the  Papal  States,  and  thus  enjoys  quite  a 
fair  business  in  the  shipping  line.  The  shops  here 
are  well  filled  with  Turkish  articles  of  merchandise, 
and  all  sorts  of  marble  and  alabaster  carvings. 
There  is  a  marble  group  here  on  the  quay,  repre- 
senting Cosimo  surrounded  by  four  black  Turks 
kneeling  and  in  chains,  taken  by  him  at  the  great 
battle  of  Lepanto.  The  group  is  by  John  of  Bo- 
logna, and  is  an  astonishing  piece  of  sculpture,  and 
attracts  much  attention. 

Leghorn  has  a  population  of  80,000  inhabitants. 
It  has  but  few  or  no  evidences  of  antiquity  ;  all 
the  houses,  streets,  and  monuments  being  of  mod- 
ern date.  Here  the  elite  of  Tuscany  assemble 
during  the  summer  months  to  enjoy  the  fine  sea- 
bathing, and  thus  give  it  the  air  of  a  fashionable 


186       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  | 

city.  In  this  city  are  12,000  Jews  ;  they  have  a 
magnificent  synagogue,  said  to  be  the  finest  in  the 
world. 

From  Leghorn  to  Pisa  is  only  12  miles.  In 
company  with  a  very. intelligent  silk  merchant  of 
Lyons,  I  left  for  Pisa ;  the  road  passes  up  the  val- 
ley of  the  Arno,  through  a  low,  marshy  country, 
which  seems  to  be  used  only  as  pasture  land. 
Cattle  thrive  well  on  these  grounds :  we  passed 
immense  herds  of  huge  white  bullocks,  that  seemed 
very  fat. 

Poor  old  Pisa  !  full  of  fleas  and  beggars.  It 
has  no  commerce — no  trade  of  any  kind.  The 
grass  grows  rank  in  all  its  streets,  even  up  to  the 
very  door  of  her  greatest  curiosity,  the  "  Leaning 
Tower."  There  is  a  population  here  of  about 
20,000  inhabitants,  who  seem  to  live,  like  some  of 
the  first  families  of  Virginia,  on  <past  recollections. 
Pisa  is  rich  in  that  species  of  wealth.  The  poet 
Dante  often  alludes  to  Pisa  in  his  Inferno,  and  has 
told  the  sad  story  of  Count  Ugolino  and  his  un- 
happy sons,  in  language  that  will  never  die. 

The  Duomo,  (cathedral,)  the  Baptistery,  the 
Campo  Santo,  (cemetery),  and  the  Campanile, 
(Leaning  Tower),  are  as  interesting  a  group  of 
buildings  as  any  four  edifices  in  the  world.  They 
group  well  together,  and  are  seen  to  much  advan- 
tage. They  sometimes  have  quite  an  oriental  ap- 
pearance, when  the  large  herd  of  camels  belong- 
ing to  the  state,  are  seen  feeding  on  the  tall  rich 
grass,  in  the  shadow  of  these  remarkable  buildings. 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS  LN  EUROPE.         187 

The  Duomo  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  mon- 
uments of  the  Middle  Ages.  It  is  310  feet  long, 
230  wide,  and  is  tilled  with  the  usual  profusion  of 
marble  columns,  mosaic  pictures,  tessellated  floors, 
and  silver  altar-pieces.  In  it  are  a  great  many  fine 
paintings,  which  are  much  prized  for  their  great 
antiquity.  One  of  these  paintings  is  particularly 
beautiful,  and  possesses  the  very  highest  degree  of 
true  genius.  It  is  the  St.  Agnes,  by  Andrea  del 
Sarto.  The  Campo  Santo  is  the  ancient  and  classic 
burial-ground  of  Pisa  and  its  surroundings.  It 
was  founded  by  Archbishop  Ubaldo,  in  the  year 
1200.  This  prelate  was  expelled  by  Saladin  from 
Palestine,  and  returned  with  53  ships,  loaded  with 
earth  taken  from  Mount  Calvary.  This  sacred  earth 
was  said  to  reduce  to  dust,  within  24  hours,  all 
dead  bodies  buried  in  it.  The  Archbishop  de- 
posited this  precious  cargo  in  ground  which  he 
purchased  in  Pisa,  and  the  present  edifice  was 
afterwards  erected  over  it.  It  is  an  immense  long 
building,  415  feet  by  137,  and  contains  a  large 
collection  of  sepulchral  monuments. 

But  the  Campanile,  or  Leaning  Tower,  is  the 
greatest  curiosity  of  Pisa.  Every  schoolboy  has 
seen  a  picture  of  it  in  his  geography,  and  has  often 
wondered  why  it  did  not  fall  down.  It  is,  indeed, 
a  remarkable  structure.  The  toAver  is  round  ;  53 
feet  in  diameter,  and  179  feet  high.  It  is  built  of 
marble,  and  leans  13-|  feet  out  of  perpendicular. 
You  ascend  it  very  easily,  by  a  winding  staircase 
of  294  steps.     In  going  up,  you  feel  very  sensibly 


188       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

the  leaning  side,  and  imagine  that  you  are  about  to 
fall.  It  is,  however,  as  firm  as  the  rock  of  ages, 
having  now  stood  for  nearly  TOO  years,  having  been 
built  in  A.  D.  1174:.  As  I  passed  into  the  tower,  I 
noticed  two  lazzaroni  playing  cards  under  the 
steps.  It  reminded  me  so  much  of  West  Baton 
Rouge,  and  was  an  evidence  of  civilization  that  I 
never  dreamed  of  in  poor  old  decayed  Pisa !  In 
the  Accademia  delle  Belle  Arti,  I  noticed  a  splen- 
did group  of  statuary  by  a  living  artist,  Themis- 
tocles  Guerrazzi.  It  represents  the  Exile  with  his 
wife  and  child,  just  in  the  act  of  landing  on  for- 
eign soil.  The  exile  is  raising  one  foot  from  a  rock 
marked  "  Italia,"  and  has  put  down  the  other  foot 
on  a  rock  marked  "  America."  The  husband 
stands  in  a  bold  and  manly  position.  His  face  is 
turned  to  Heaven,  which  he  thanks,  while  sadness 
seems  to  oppress  his  soul  in  leaving  his  native 
land.  "While  looking  at  this  group  of  statuary,  an 
aged  Italian  standing  by  me  said,  "  I  take  you,  sir, 
to  be  an  American."  "  Yes,"  I  replied,  "  I  am." 
With  tears  in  his  eyes,  and  in  a  tremulous  voice,  he 
exclaimed,  "  I  would  to  God  that  Italia  was  as  free 
and  as  happy  as  America."  Yes,  thank  God,  we 
have  a  free  and  happy  country,  and  long  may  we 
have  stout  hearts  and  strong  arms  to  defend  it. 

The  Baptistery  is  a  circular  building  of  marble, 
99  feet  in  diameter,  and  179  feet  high.  It  is,  as  its 
name  imports,  simply  built  for  baptizing,  and  is 
erected  close  to  the  cathedral.  The  walls  are  eight 
feet  thick.     This  is  the  great  secret  of  the  dura- 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  189 

bility  of  these  old  buildings.  This  is  a  building 
that  has  stood  for  nearly  600  years,  for  on  one  of  the 
columns  is  the  following  inscription,  "  A.  D.  1278. 
Editicata  fuit  de  novo."  The  Baptistery  possesses 
the  echo  principle  in  a  most  remarkable  degree, 
and  the  Italians  assemble  here  to  sing  for  visitors, 
in  order  that  they  may  listen  to  its  magic  powers. 
The  notes  of  the  human  voice  are  here  echoed  four 
several  and  distinct  times,  and  at  last  die  away  in 
the  sweetest  strains  imaginable. 

Adieu — I  leave  this  evening  for  the  loveliest 
spot  on  earth — that  is,  Florence — and  shall  write 
you  what  I  think  of  it. 

Very  truly  yours, 

H.  W.  A. 


190      TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  J 


LETTER    NO.  XXVII. 

Hotel  de  l'Eukope,  Florence,  Italy, 
Oct.  5,  1859. 

Editors  Advocate  : 

I  reached  this  delightful  city  day  before  yester- 
day, and  am  perfectly  charmed  with  it.  It  has  a 
population  of  120,000  inhabitants,  and  is  most  beau- 
tifully situated  in  a  valley  of  the  Appenines.  The 
Arno  passes  through  it,  and  is  spanned  by  four  ele- 
gant bridges,  ornamented  with  statuary.  This  cel- 
ebrated river  is  a  small  stream,  just  100  yards 
wide,  and  at  present  is  very  muddy,  else  I  should 
be  tempted  to  bathe  in  its  classic  waters. 

My  first  act  after  arriving  here  was  to  call  on 
our  American  sculptor,  Hiram  Powers.  I  found 
him  in  his  studio,  with  apron  and  paper  cap  on, 
hard  at  work.  He  received  me  very  kindly,  and 
asked  many  questions  about  Louisiana,  and  partic- 
ularly about  his  Washington  ;  and  when  I  told  him 
how  we  all  appreciated  his  labor  of  love,  he  seemed 
to  feel  it  very  much,  and  expressed  his  deep  sense 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUEOPE.  191 

of  gratitude  to  Louisianians.  He  has  just  finished 
"  a  California,"  an  ideal  piece.  It  is  of  Sienna 
marble,  much  purer  and  better  than  Carrara.  I 
have  never  seen  any  thing  to  equal  this  statue. 
His  Greek  Slave  is  very  good,  but  does  not  equal 
this.  California  is  here  represented  as  a  full-grown, 
beautiful  woman,  in  a  nude  state.  She  displays  all 
her  charms,  inviting  the  whole  world  to  come,  but 
holds  a  bunch  of  thorns  concealed  in  her  hand  be- 
hind. Powers  has  lived  here  for  22  years.  He  is 
a  Yermonter  by  birth,  and  married  a  Philadelphia 
lady.  They  have  six  children,  two  of  them  very 
nice  young  ladies,  highly  accomplished  in  music, 
and  well  educated.  But  one  of  his  children  (his 
oldest  son)  has  ever  visited  America.  He  came 
over  last  year,  and  made  some  very  fortunate  in- 
vestments in  Kansas.  I  took  tea  and  spent  this 
evening  with  his  interesting  family,  and  was  highly 
entertained.  While  at  tea,  Mr.  Hart,  from  Ken- 
tucky, another  artist,  came  in,  and  we  spent  a  de- 
lightful evening.  Mr.  Hart  has  just  finished  a  co- 
lossal statue  of  Henry  Clay,  for  Virginia,  and  is 
now  engaged  on  a  bronze  one  of  the  same  great 
man,  for  New  Orleans,  to  be  placed  on  Canal  street. 
But  to  return  to  Powers.  He  is  about  50  years 
old,  a  very  plain-looking,  sensible  man,  with  a  re- 
markably fine  gray  eye,  and  an  intelligent  face. 
Well  may  America  be  proud  of  Hiram  Powers,  for 
he  now  ranks  among  the  first  of  living  sculptors. 
His  recent  inventions  of  the  sculptor's  file;  his 
new  application  of  power  to  the  punch,  and  the 


192       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

best  uniform  method  of  tempering  steel,  will  alone 
render  him  a  benefactor  to  the  world.  He  is  now 
engaged  on  a  bust  of  Calhoun,  having  just  finished 
America  and  Proserpine. 

Florence  has  long  been  the  home  of  modern  arts 
and  sciences.  During  the  reign  of  the  Medici  fam- 
ily, and  particularly  the  magnificent  Lorenzo,  Flor- 
ence became  the  Athens  of  Europe.  Even  now  it  is 
what  Borne  was  in  the  days  of  the  Csesars.  Thou- 
sands of  students  flock  here  from  all  portions  of  the 
world,  to  study  the  art  of  painting  and  sculpture 
from  the  works  of  the  grand  old  masters,  only  to  be 
found  in  the  Pitti  and  Uffizzi  galleries.  Here  you 
see  Kaphael  and  Andrea  del  Sarto,  Correggio  and 
Carlo  Dolce,  Paulo  Veronese  and  Titian,  Sassoferato 
and  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  in  all  their  glory.  Here 
are  Guido  Keni  and  the  divine  Domenichino, 
Annibale  Caracci  and  Fra  Bartolomeo,  Albani  and 
Allori,  all,  all  Italian  artists  of  the  very  highest 
order. 

The  Pitti  Palace  is  the  residence  of  the  grand 
duke.  It  is  a  huge  structure,  built  of  hammered 
stone;  very  plain  and  substantial  to  look  at.  In 
fact,  as  you  approach  it,  it  reminds  you  more  of  a 
fortress  than  a  palace.  The  interior,  however,  is 
fitted  up  in  the  most  gorgeous  manner,  and  with 
oriental  luxury.  In  the  fourth  story  of  this  im- 
mense palace  is  the  gallery  of  art.  It  is  filled  with 
the  finest  specimens  of  painting  and  statuary. 
The  gallery  is  open  every  day  from  10  to  3,  except 
Sundays.     No  fee  is  required.     The  rooms  are  not 


OR,  SIX   MONTHS    IN  .EUROPE.  193 

only  comfortable,  but  are  fitted  up  magnificently 
with  chairs  and  ottomans,  and  well  heated  in  win- 
ter. Each  room  contains  several  hand  catalogues 
in  Italian  and  French.  The  floors  are  all  of  tessel- 
lated marble,  and  the  ceilings  are  covered  with  ap- 
propriate frescos.  These  splendid  apartments, 
about  50  in  number,  are  all  named  after  the  clas- 
sics. 1st,  Hall  of  Yenus.  2d,  Hall  of  Apollo.  3d, 
Hall  of  Mars,  etc.,  etc.  In  the  Hall  of  Apollo  are 
"  The  Hospitality  of  St.  Julian,"  by  Christoforo 
Allori ;  "  Virgin  and  Child,"  by  Murillo,  and  "The 
Deposition  from  the  Cross,"  by  Andrea  del  Sarto. 
In  the  Hall  of  Mars  are  the  "  Madonna  della  Seg- 
giola,"  by  Raphael,  the  sweetest  of  all  his  Madon- 
nas ;  "Judith  with  the  Head  of  Holofernes,"  a 
great  master-piece  of  coloring,  by  Christoforo  Al- 
lori ;  and  "  Rebecca  at  the  Well,"  by  Guido.  In 
the  Hall  of  Saturn  are  "The  Descent  from  the 
Cross,"  by  Perugino,  and  the  "  Vision  of  Ezekiel," 
by  Raphael.  These  are  only  a  few  of  the  500 
paintings  to  be  seen  in  this  gallery.  Besides  are 
many  apartments  filled  with  antique  statuary  and 
Etruscan  vases.  Here  also  in  this  palace  is  seen 
that  celebrated  table,  exhibited  at  the  "World's  Fair 
in  Paris,  made  of  mother  of  pearl,  lapis  lazuli,  jas- 
per, agate,  and  chalcedony.  This  table  is  a  great 
curiosity,  and  is  a  wonderful  piece  of  mechanism. 
It  is  valued  at  $10,000. 

Most  of  the  flowers  known  to  Botany  are  here 
represented,  and  in  their  true  colors,  as  large  as 
life  ;  :ill  without  any  artificial  colorinff:     The  varied 
1) 


194       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

tints  and  shading  are  made  by  a  judicious  adapta- 
tion of  the  gradations,  which  the  materials  afford. 
This  is  called  Florentine  mosaic,  and  is  altogether 
different  from  the  modern  Roman  mosaic.  In  the 
Roman  mosaic  the  colors  are  artificial,  they  being 
formed  of  little  pieces  of  opaque  glass,  called 
"  smalto."  In  the  Florentine,  no  colors  are  em- 
ployed, except  what  are  natural  to  the  stone. 
By  means  of  these  only,  the  graceful  and  elaborate 
representations  of  flowers,  fruit,  birds,  ornaments, 
butterflies,  etc.,  have  been  produced.  Marbles  and 
jaspers,  of  brilliant  colors,  being  of  course  very 
valuable,  are  only  used  in  thin  slices,  like  veneer 
one-eighth  of  an  inch  thick.  The  pattern  is  drawn 
on  paper ;  each  piece  is  then  cut  out  and  drawn  on 
the  stone  chosen.  The  mosaic  establishment  here 
belongs  to  the  government.  Many  hands  are  kept 
constantly  employed.  The  process  is  so  slow,  and 
the  details  so  tedious,  that  it  takes  months,  and 
sometimes  years,  to  make  an  ordinary-sized  table. 

From  the  Pitti  Palace  I  went  into  the  Boboli 
Gardens  attached  to  the  palace.  These  gardens 
are  very  extensive,  and  rise  in  terraces  from  the 
palace  to  the  back  walls.  They  are  laid  out  with 
great  taste,  and  are  kept  in  most  excellent  order. 
The  long  living  walls  of  laurel  and  cypress  are  re- 
lieved at  almost  every  step  by  the  most  beautiful 
statuary.  The  climate  here  being  very  mild,  the 
orange  and  citron,  the  olive  and  oleander,  flourish 
well.  These  delightful  gardens  are  much  resorted 
to  by  all  classes — the  poor  as  well  as  the  rich,  who 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUEOPE.         195 

pass  much  of  their  time  here,  'midst  the  fountains 
and  flowers,  the  shaded  walks  and  romantic  grot- 
toes of  this  earthly  paradise. 

After  leaving  the  Boboli  Gardens,  I  crossed  the 
Arno,  and  wended  my  way  to  the  Gallery  of  the 
Uffizi,  called  the  "  Imperial  Galleria  e  Keale."  It 
is  the  proudest  boast  of  Florence,  and  has  no  equal 
in  the  wide  world.  The  Uffizi  is  a  large  building, 
erected  by  order  of  Cosimo  L,  for  the  public  offices 
and  tribunals,  and  which,  besides,  contains  the 
public  library  and  the  Medicean  archives.  This 
splendid  gallery  is  arranged  in  a  similar  manner 
to  the  Pitti  Palace,  with  beautiful  apartments,  all 
named.  The  most  remarkable  is  the  Tribune,  in 
which  are  live  of  the  best  antique  statues  now  in 
existence,  to  wit :  the  Yenus  de  Medici,  the  Apol- 
lino,  the  Dancing  Faun,  the  "Wrestlers,  and  the 
Slave  Whetting  his  Knife.  The  Yenus  de  Medici 
is  of  course  the  most  remarkable.  It  stands  as  the 
best  representation  of  the  female  form.  I  must 
confess  I  did  not  like  it.  My  impression  is  that  the 
artists  permit  their  veneration  for  the  works  of  the 
ancients  to  warp  their  better  judgments.  In  the 
first  place,  the  head  of  the  Yenus  is  entirely  too 
small,  and  the  toes  are  too  short.  The  arms  placed 
in  a  very  ungraceful  position,  and  the  whole  figure 
has  rather  a  "  drooping,  sheepish  look."  The  lady 
is  entirely  naked,  and  of  course  should  be  somewhat 
ashamed.  She,  however,  expresses  in  her  counte- 
nance that  "  mauvaisse  honte,"  which  is  never  agree- 
able to  the  beholder.     To  my  uneducated  taste,  the 


196       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

Ariadne  of  Dannecker,  at  Frankfort,  and  the  statu- 
ary at  Charlottenburg,  by  Kauch,  are  far  superior 
in  every  respect.  But  we  will  pass  on  to  the  paint- 
in  o-s  in  this  same  room,  the  Tribune.  On  of  the 
most  remarkable  is  the  "  Virgin  presenting  the  In- 
fant to  St.  Joseph,"  by  Michael  Angelo ;  then 
comes  Raphael  in  all  his  divine  genius — his  Ma- 
donna, (the  Goldfinch,)  then  his  "  La  Fornarina." 
This  is  the  most  exquisitely  beautiful  thing  on  can- 
vas. It  is  a  portrait  of  his  own  mistress.  It  is  no 
angelic  face,  no  spirituelle  conception  of  ideal  fan- 
cy, but  a  sure  enough  beautiful  woman,  of  blood 
and  flesh,  capable  of  loving  and  being  loved,  and 
of  continuing  to  love  with  passionate  devotion, 
even  beyond  the  grave.  Here  also  is  "  St.  John 
Preaching  in  the  Desert,"  by  Raphael.  It  looks 
as  if  it  stood  out  from  the  canvas,  and  was  ready 
to  speak  to  you  as  you  passed  by. 

Among  the  many  glorious  pictures  in  this  magni- 
ficent gallery,  are  "  The  Yenus,"  by  Titian ;  "  Ado- 
ption of  the  Magi,"  by  Albert  Durer ;  "The  Virgin 
kneeling  before  the  Infant  Saviour,"  by  Correggio ; 
"Charles  Y.,"  by  Yandyck;  "Medusa's  Head," 
by  Leonardo  da  Yinci ;  "  The  Marriage  at  Cana," 
by  Tintoretto ;  "  Esther  and  Ahasuerus,"  by  Paul 
Veronese ;  "  Martyrdom  of  St.  Sebastian,"  by  So- 
doma.  A  mere  description  of  these  treasures  in 
the  way  of  paintings,  would  fill  a  volume.  This 
gallery  contains  1,500  paintings,  each  of  which 
would  be  considered  a  great  prize  in  this  country. 
Attached  to  the  gallery  is  a  room  devoted  to  gems, 
and  here  are  seen  many  antique  cameos,  with  im- 


r 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  197 

perial  portraits  carved  on  them.  Yespasian,  Ti- 
berius and  Livia,  Augustus  and  Galba,  have  all 
left  their  profiles  on  imperishable  cameos,  and  done, 
as  our  friends  the  ancients  did  every  thing,  in  true 
artistic  style. 

In  leaving  the  pictures,  you  enter  the  gallery 
containing  the  statuary.  Here  are  miles  of  "  mon- 
umental marble,"  cut  into  every  conceivable  size 
and  shape.  First,  is  the  Hall  of  Niobe,  in  which 
stand  the  statues  of  this  unfortunate  old  lady,  with 
her  baker's  dozen  of  sons  and  daughters,  all  shot 
and  being  shot  at  by  the  unerring  arrows  of  the 
ruthless  Apollo.  As  you  pass  along  the  immense 
corridor,  you  get  into  a  perfect  wilderness  of  an- 
tiques, man  and  beast,  all  confusedly  mixed  to- 
gether. 

'Twas  late  in  the  evening  when  I  quit  this  im- 
mense gallery.  My  brain  was  completely  bewil- 
dered with  sight-seeing.  I  got  all  confused.  The 
"Ancient  Chimera"  was  jumbled  up  with  the 
"  Head  of  Holofernes ; "  while  "  the  Dancing  Faun  " 
was  pitching  into  "the  Venus  de  Medici."  I  went 
to  my  hotel,  and  there  I  found  our  countryman 
Hiram  Powers,  who  had  just  arrived  to  dine  with 
me.  "We  had  an  elegant  dinner,  and  over  a  couple 
of  bottles  of  best  Italian  wine,  we  discussed  art  and 
science,  paintings  and  statuary,  the  Grand  Duke 
and  Victor  Emanuel,  not  forgetting  our  own  native 
land. 

Adieu.     I  shall  write  you  again  from  this  place. 

Yours  truly, 

II.  W.  A. 


198       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 


LETTEK    tfO.   XXVIII. 

Florence,  Italy,  Oct.  8,  1859. 
Editors  Advocate  : 

I  wrote  you  a  day  or  two  ago  from  this  city, 
since  which  time  I  have  visited  the  churches  and 
other  public  buildings,  together  with  an  occasional 
ride  to  the  country.  The  Duomo  or  great  cathedral 
is,  of  course,  the  most  remarkable  building  in  all 
Florence.  It  is  called  Santa  Maria  del  Fiore.  This 
is  a  monster  building,  and  one  of  the  very  finest  in 
Europe.  It  measures  500  feet  in  length,  306  in 
width,  and  387  feet  high.  The  dome  is  a  wonder- 
ful triumph  of  human  ingenuity.  In  grandeur  and 
simplicity  of  construction,  it  is  far  superior  to  the 
domes  of  St.  Mark  at  Venice,  and  of  the  cathedral 
of  Pisa.  It  served  as  a  model  for  Michael  Angelo, 
in  building  the  dome  of  St.  Peter's  at  Eome.  It  is, 
in  fact,  the  largest  dome  in  the  world,  being  138£ 
feet  in  diameter,  and  from  the  cornice  of  the  drum 
to  the  eye  of  the  dome,  it  is  133£  feet.  The  archi- 
tect was  Brunelleschi,  and  his  name  is  handed  down 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUROPE.         199 

with  that  of  Michael  Angelo,  as  one  of  the  greatest 
architects  that  has  ever  lived.  This  stupendous 
cathedral  is  ornamented  with  a  great  deal  of  fine 
statuary  on  the  outside.  The  interior  is  rather  dark, 
owing  to  the  smallness  of  the  windows,  the  rich 
colors  of  the  stained  glass,  and  the  sombre  color  of 
the  stone  with  which  it  is  built.  Immense  arches 
strengthen  the  pillars  which  support  the  huge 
dome ;  on  these  arches  are  sculptured  the  armorial 
bearings  of  Florence,  of  the  Pope,  of  the  Guelphs 
and.  the  Ghibellines.  The  whole  design  is  charac- 
terized by  grandeur  and  simplicity.  The  pave- 
ment, being  of  various  colored  marbles,  adds  much 
to  the  magnificence  and  beauty  of  the  structure. 
As  you  enter  the  cathedral,  near  the  door  is  the 
portrait  of  Dante  ;  on  your  left  are  Hell  and  Pur- 
gatory, painted  in  fresco  ;  and  in  the  centre,  Para- 
dise in  small  groups.  Near  the  picture  of  Dante  is  a 
marble  tomb  ornamented  with  a  cross  between  two 
shields,  bearing  eagles.  It  is  the  tomb  of  Conrad, 
the  son  and  rival  of  the  Emperor  Henry  IV. 

Like  Pisa,  Florence  has  her  Campanile  or  tower, 
and  Baptistery.  This  tower  is  a  beautiful  specimen 
of  Italian-Gothic  architecture,  and  was  intended  by 
its  builders  to  surpass  any  thing  of  the  kind  ever 
built  by  the  Greeks  or  Komans,  in  their  palmiest 
days  of  pride  and  power.  It  is  a  square  structure, 
about  the  size  of  the  Washington  Monument  at 
"Washington  City,  and  is  275f  feet  high.  It  is  built 
of  pure  marble,  and  on  the  basement  story  are 
many  sculptured  reliefs  from  the  Old  and  New 


200       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

Testaments,  the  heathen  mythology,  the  arts  and 
sciences,  music,  poetry,  philosophy,  &c,  &c.  In 
one  of  these  reliefs  I  noticed  that  the  Deity  is  rep- 
resented as  pulling  Eve  bodily  out  of  Adam's  side, 
while  he  is  asleep !  On  the  west  side,  are  the  full- 
sized  statues  of  the  four  Evangelists ;  one  of  them 
is  called  the  "  Zuccone,"  and  it  was  to  this  statue 
the  artist  Donatello  spoke,  after  he  had  given  the 
last  finishing  stroke  with  the -chisel.  So  pleased 
was  he  with  his  beautiful  work,  that  he  struck  it, 
and  exclaimed  "  Parla  " — speak.  You  ascend  this 
tower  by  a  staircase  of  414  steps,  and  when  you 
reach  the  top,  you  are  richly  paid  for  your  labor. 
Here  the  whole  of  Florence,  with  its  beautiful  en- 
virons, is  laid  out  before  you  like  a  map.  The 
Appenines  on  either  hand,  with  their  gentle  slopes 
covered  with  the  olive  tree,  now  in  full  fruit.  The 
Arno,  like  a  silver  thread,  winding  its  devious 
course  way  off  to  the  sea ;  while  the  wooded  hills 
of  Vallambrosa  are  seen  far  to  the  south-east.  This 
prospect  is  truly  delightful ;  it  is  one  more  of 
beauty  than  of  grandeur,  and  far  excels  any  other 
scene  of  this  kind  in  the  world.  There  is  no  city 
like  Florence. 

The  Baptistery  is  in  the  form  of  an  octagon,  and 
supports  a  cupola  and  lantern.  It  is  built  of  al- 
ternate layers  of  black  and  white  marble,  which 
give  it  a  species  of  "  half-mourning "  appearance. 
Within,  are  16  splendid  antique  columns  of  gray 
granite.  At  each  side  of  the  eastern  gate  is  a  dark 
and  shattered   shaft   of  porphyry,   taken   by  the 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUROPE.         201 

Florentines  at  the  conquest  of  Majorca,  A.  D.  1117. 
But  the  great  ornaments  to  the  Baptistery  are  the 
three  bronze  doors,  executed,  one  by  Andrea  Pisano, 
and  the  two  others  by  Ghiberti,  which  were  de- 
clared by  Michael  Angelo  to  be  worthy  of  being 
the  gates  of  Paradise.  Upon  these  gates  are  rep- 
resented in  most  beautiful  style,  the  principal 
events  in  the  life  of  the  Saviour,  together  with  the 
leading  subjects  of  the  Old  Testament ;  while  the 
frame-work  is  filled  with  statues  and  busts  of  pat- 
riarchs, saints,  and  prophets.  The  statues  of  Miriam 
and  Judith  are  particularly  beautiful.  The  great 
Dante  was  a  native  of  Florence,  and  delighted  to 
visit  this  sacred  edifice.  In  his  "Divina  Corn- 
media,"  he  often  speaks  of  it.  On  one  occasion 
while  in  the  Baptistery,  a  child  had  fallen  into  one 
of  the  fonts,  which  are  always  kept  full  of  holy 
water,  and  in  order  to  save  the  child  he  broke  the 
font.  In  the  nineteenth  chapter  of  his  Inferno,  he 
alludes  to  it : 

"  Those  basins  formed  for  water  to  baptize  ; 
One  of  the  same,  I  broke  some  years  ago, 
To  save  a  drowning  child  ;  be  this  my  word 
A  seal,  the  motive  of  my  deed  to  show." 

The  cupola  is  covered  with  immense  mosaics, 
representing  a  gigantic  figure  of  our  Lord  on  his 
judgment-seat  dispensing  justice  ;  beneath  is  Luci- 
fer, with  his  huge,  fiery  mouth  wide  open,  into  which 
has  just  been  thrust  a  poor  wretch,  who  could  not 
give  a  good  account  of  his  acts  at  the  "  awful  bar 
9* 


202       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAK  PLANTER  ; 

of  God."  It  is  my  great  delight  to  visit  this  group 
of  magnificent  buildings  every  morning.  The  Ca- 
thedral, the  Campanile,  the  Baptistery !  such  a 
group  is  nowhere,  on  the  habitable  globe,  to  be 
found.  All  encased  with  marble,  all  towering  far 
up  into  the  blue  heavens,  all  having  lived  for  more 
than  four  centuries,  and  will,  no  doubt,  stand  upon 
the  quiet  banks  of  the  Arno,  till  "  earth  shall  pass 
away,  and  time  shall  be  no  more." 

There  are  nearly  200  churches  in  Florence  ;  the 
people,  of  course,  being  exceedingly  pious.  Among 
these  churches,  the  most  remarkable  are  San  Lo- 
renzo, Santa  Croce,  the  Annunziata,  San  Marco, 
and  Santa  Maria  Novella.  In  San  Lorenzo  is 
is  buried  Cosimo  de  Medici,  the  "  Pater  patriae  " 
of  Florence.  His  body  was  deposited  in  front  of 
the  high  altar  in  the  pavement,  and  the  spot  is 
marked  by  a  circular  space  of  inlaid  green  and  red 
porphyry.  Adjoining  the  north  transept  is  an 
apartment  devoted  to  the  monuments  of  Lorenzo 
the  Magnificent,  and  his  son,  by  Michael  Angelo. 
They  are  the  most  famous  works  of  this  great 
master,  and  attract  more  visitors  to  Florence,  per- 
haps, than  any  other  objects  of  high  monumental 
art.  Lorenzo  is  represented  seated  in  his  tomb, 
with  his  head  resting  on  his  hand,  in  a  position  of 
deep  thought ;  the  two  figures  reclining  at  his  feet 
are  Aurora  and  Twilight,  or  night  and  morning. 
The  whole  group  have  a  very  affecting  influence 
on  the  beholder,  and  you  go  away  utterly  aston- 
ished and  amazed  at  the  power  of  the  master-artist, 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  203 

in  giving  such  expression  to  dull,  cold  marble. 
Back  of  the  choir  is  the  celebrated  Medician  chapel. 
This  is  a  lovely  room,  completely  encrusted  with 
Florentine  mosaics.  Here,  coral  and  cornelian, 
jasper,  agate,  lapis  lazuli,  and  chalcedony,  vie 
with  each  other,  and  assume  all  the  artistic  shapes 
and  colors  that  the  ingenuity  of  man  can  contrive, 
or  the  most  prurient  fancy  conceive.  The  ceiling 
is  beautifully  done  in  fresco,  and  the  floors  blaze 
in  the  most  gorgeous  marbles.  I  doubt  whether 
Aladdin  ever  dreamed  of  such  a  room  as  this,  and 
am  certain  that  he  had  no  such  apartment  in  the 
palace  which  he  built  for  his  beautiful  bride. 

In  the  church  of  Santa  Croce,  lie  the  mortal  re- 
mains of  the  illustrious  dead.  Here  are  Dante, 
and  Michael  Angelo,  and  Alfieri,  and  Machiavelli ; 
four  names  that  have  filled  the  Italian  trump  of 
fame  for  ages.  They  all  lie  quietly  in  this  old 
church,  objects  of  great  veneration  and  regard. 
Although  in  the  silent  tomb,  their  works  still  live, 
and  are  destined  to  instruct  and  please  for  ages 
to  come. 

To-day  is  Sunday,  and  I  spent  the  evening  at 
the  Casino — the  Hyde  Park  of  Florence.  It  is  a 
lovely  spot,  and  is  delightfully  situated  on  the 
banks  of  the  Arno,  just  outside  the  city  as  you  pass 
through  the  Porta  al  Prato.  Here  all  Florence  drive 
out  of  an  evening,  and  show  off  their  fine  equipages. 
There  is  a  great  deal  of  style  here,  more  than  in 
any  other  part  of  Italy.  Four-horse  coaches,  with 
liveries,   outriders,   &c,  are   very  common.     The 


204       TEAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

man  wlio  seemed  to  splurge  the  most  was  an 
American,  fresh  from  California,  with  his  pockets 
full  of  rocks.  I  regret  that  I  did  not  have  time 
to  visit  Yallambrosa,  18  miles  distant,  and  Fiesole, 
the  quondam  residence  of  our  old  friend  Galileo, 
the  star-gazer,  who  first  entertained  that  foolish  no- 
tion that  the  earth  moved  instead  of  the  sun,  not- 
withstanding Joshua  told  the  sun  "  to  stand  and 
deliver."  I  find  it,  however,  impossible  to  spend 
any  more  time  here. 

The  manufactures  of  Florence  have  fallen  off 
very  much ;  they  still,  however,  do  a  good  deal  in 
silks  and  woollens,  in  straw  hats,  porcelain,  and 
mosaics.  The  chief  dependence  of  the  city  is  on 
the  visits  and  temporary  residence  of  foreigners. 
The  artists,  also,  form  quite  a  large  portion  of  the 
population,  and  add  much  to  the  income  of  the 
resident  citizens. 

All  Florence  to-day  is  in  a  great  state  of  ex- 
citement. The  arms  of  Piedmont  have  just  been 
placed  on  the  ducal  palace,  while  large  handbills 
are  stuck  up  on  every  corner  of  the  street,  "  Yiva 
Yictor  Emanuel!"  "Death  to  the  house  of  Lor- 
raine." The  Grand  Duke  has  long  since  fled  to 
his  cousin  at  Vienna.  He  and  his  son  were  at  the 
battle  of  Solferino.  This  has  given  mortal  offence 
to  the  Tuscans,  who  would,  I  believe,  cut  him  to 
pieces,  if  he  were  to  return.  The  Italians  will  fight 
now,  and  no  mistake.  They  are  fully  aroused  at  last, 
and  are  raising  a  voluntary  subscription  to  buy  one 
million  stand  of  arms,  to  place  in  the  hands  of  the 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS     IN    EUKOPi;.  205 

people.  Garibaldi  is  in  Bologna.  He  goes  to  Mo- 
dena  to-morrow,  with  a  part  of  his  troops.  He  is 
the  beau-ideal — the  Chevalier  Bayard — of  Italian 
chivalry,  aud  is  rallying  the  whole  country  around 
him.  The  Tuscans  deserve  to  be  free.  I  hope 
Napoleon  will  say  to  Austria,  "  Hands  off." 

To-day,  Florence  has  had  a  complete  revolu- 
tion, without  a  mob,  without  an  accident  even. 
She  has  voluntarily  joined  the  fortunes  of  Yictor 
Emanuel,  and  will  jn'ove  true  in  any  emergency. 

I  cannot  close  this  letter  without  expressing 
my  gratitude  to  Mr.  Powers  and  Mr.  Hart,  our 
American  sculptors,  for  their  kindness  to  me. 
Mr.  Hart  is  a  regular  brick.  I  hope  I  may  have 
it  in  my  power  to  entertain  him  some  day  at  Allan- 
dale.  Adieu. 

Yours  truly, 

II.  W.  A. 


206       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 


LETTER     NO.   XXIX. 

Hotel  d'Angletebee,  Home,  Italy, 
Oct.  13, 1859. 

Editors  Advocate  : 

I  am  in  the  "  Eternal  City"  at  last,  and  have 
now  arrived  at  the  "  ultima  thule  "  of  my  journey. 
I  arrived  here  five  days  since,  and  have  been  busily 
engaged  in  visiting  the  various  curiosities  of  this 
city  of  the  Caesars.  Rome  is  divided  by  the  river 
Tiber  into  two  unequal  parts.  This  river  is  a 
small,  muddy  stream,  about  as  wide  as  the  Atcha- 
falaya,  at  Simms  Port,  but  not  so  deep.  Take 
out  St.  Peter's  and  the  Yatican,  the  Quirinal  Pal- 
ace and  the  Coliseum,  and  Rome  becomes  a  miser- 
able concern,  a  one-horse  town.  By-the-by,  I  am 
travelling  through  Italy  with  two  very  clever  Eng- 
lish gentlemen ;  one  Mr.  Eorsyth,  an  eminent  law- 
yer of  London,  and  the  other  the  Rev.  Mr.  Robert- 
son, an  elegant  scholar,  and  a  prebendary  of  Can- 
terbury. They  are  social,  good  companions.  We 
met  in  Florence,  and  have  concluded  to  "  tie  to  one 


OR,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUROPE.         207 

another,"  in  this  land  of  barbarians,  where  you 
never  hear  the  mother  tongue  of  a  white  man  and 
a  Christian  spoken !  I  made  the  remark  to-day 
that  Rome  was  a  one-horse  town.  These  gentlemen 
immediately  pulled  out  their  memorandum-books, 
and  put  it  down,  saying,  "  "Well,  that  will  do  for 
America  ! "  The  streets  here  are  filthy  and  narrow ; 
the  houses  generally  mean  and  dirty,  while  the 
beggars  and  fleas  are  as  thick  as  "  leaves  in  Yal- 
lambrosa." 

The  Italians  are  a  far  different  race  of  human 
beings  from  their  Roman  ancestors.  When  impe- 
rial Ceesar  ruled  Rome,  it  contained  4,000,000  of 
inhabitants.  Now  this  once  great  city  is  not  as 
large  as  St.  Louis,  or  Cincinnati,  or  New  Orleans ; 
only  numbering  150,000  inhabitants,  the  beggars 
and  priests  all  told.  The  present  modern  city  is 
built  on  the  Campus  Martius  of  the  old  Romans. 
"With  but  few  exceptions,  the  houses  are  badly  con- 
structed, and  kept  in  worse  repair.  There  is  no 
Yankee  thrift  here.  Prodigality  and  poverty  go 
hand  in  hand,  and  the  most  assiduous  and  importu- 
nate beggars  follow  you  into  the  very  church  of  St. 
Peter. 

Of  course  the  first  great  object  of  attraction  to 
all  visitors,  is  the  Cathedral.  It  is  not  only  the 
great  wonder  of  Rome  and  all  Italy,  but  stands 
confessedly  far  superior  to  any  thing  in  the  shape 
of  a  church  ever  constructed  by  man.  The  far- 
famed  temple  of  Ephesus  could  not  be  compared 
to  it.     Nor  can  the  temple  of  Solomon,  built  of  the 


208       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

"  fir-tree  and  the  cedar  of  Lebanon,  and  covered 
with  gold,"  be  considered  equal  to  this  wonderful 
pile.  It  exceeds  the  most  extravagant  conception 
of  the  human  mind.  It  is  607  feet  long,  445  feet 
wide,  and  458  high !  and  the  interior  is  one  solid 
mass  of  variegated  marble.  The  large  pictures  for 
the  altars  are  all  of  mosaic,  copied  from  the  great 
masters  in  the  Vatican.  They  are  so  well  executed 
that  I  was  entirely  deceived,  and  could  not  be  made 
to  believe  it,  till  I  had  given  them  a  minute  inspec- 
tion. The  statuary  is  all  of  colossal  size,  and  by 
those  immortal  artists,  Michael  Angelo,  Canova, 
Bernini,  Thorwaldsen,  Teudon,  Algardi,  etc.,  etc. 
Around  the  base  or  lower  rim  of  the  cupola,  are 
these  words,  in  huge  mosaic  letters  :  "  Tu  es  Petrus 
et  hanc  petram  sedificabo  ecclesiam  meam  et  tibi 
dabo  claves  regni  ccelorum."  Notwithstanding  the 
church  is  so  large,  still  the  proportions  are  so  good 
and  harmonious,  and  the  windows  so  well  arranged, 
that  instead  of  dark  and  dreary  walls,  as  at  Milan 
and  Florence,  all  is  cheerful  and  bright,  warm  and 
luxurious.  If  the  surroundings  have  any  effect 
upon  the  human  heart,  and  fit  it  for  a  closer  com- 
munion with  our  Heavenly  Father,  then  most  as- 
suredly St.  Peter's  possesses  far  greater  advantages 
than  all  other  churches  I  have  ever  seen.  I  noticed 
that  there  are  no  tinsel  trinkets,  or  pinchbeck  or- 
naments hung  around  the  necks  of  the  saints  and 
the  Madonnas,  but  all  is  in  good  taste ;  every  thing 
is  of  gold  or  silver,  Carrara  marble  or  bronze.  The 
facade  of  the  church  is  built  entirely  of  travertine, 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS    IN   EUKOPE.  209 


(a  white  limestone.)  It  is  379  feet  long  and  148 
high.  It  has  three  stories  and  an  attic.  Each 
story  has  nine  windows  and  heavy  balconies,  from 
which  the  pope  bestows  his  benedictions  on  festival 
days.  On  the  attic  are  13  colossal  statues,  each  18 
feet  high,  which  represent  the  Saviour  and  the  12 
apostles.  The  colonnade  in  front  of  the  church  is  so 
well  contrived  as  to  conceal  the  buildings  on  each 
side  of  the  piazza.  This  is  considered  the  master- 
piece of  the  great  Bernini.  The  colonnades  are 
semicircular,  55  feet  wide,  having  4  rows  of  col- 
umns 48  feet  high,  and  so  arranged  as  to  admit  two 
carriages  abreast,  between  the  inner  rows.  The 
number  of  columns  is  284.  On  the  entablature 
stand  192  statues,  each  12  feet  high.  The  area 
inclosed  by  these  two  colonnades,  in  its  greatest  di- 
ameter, is  787  feet.  The  colonnades  terminate  in 
two  galleries  360  feet  long  by  23  wide,  leading  to 
the  vestibule  of  St.  Peter's. 

As  you  enter  the  church,  at  the  bottom  of  the 
steps  are  placed  by  the  present  pope  (Pius  IX.) 
two  colossal  statues.  The  one  on  the  right  is  St. 
Peter,  that  on  the  left  St.  Paul.  In  the  centre 
of  the  piazza,  in  front,  is  the  Egyptian  obelisk,  and 
on  each  side  is  a  beautiful  fountain,  eternally  throw- 
ing up  its  cool,  refreshing  waters,  inviting  all  to 
come  and  drink.  The  ascent  to  the  top  of  the 
dome  of  St.  Peter's,  is  by  a  broad,  spiral  staircase, 
paved  with  marble,  which  leads  you  up  so  gently 
that  you  could  easily  go  up  on  horseback.  On  the 
walls  of  this  staircase,  as  you  go  along,  are  inserted 


210       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

tablets,  commemorating  the  time  when  distin- 
guished sovereigns  made  the  ascent.  No  one  can 
give  any  idea  of  the  immensity  of  St.  Peter's,  un- 
less he  visits  the  top.  Here  are  spread  out  acres 
of  roof  and  cupolas,  without  number ;  but  I  saw 
no  carpenters'  houses,  with  their  families,  on  the 
top  of  St.  Peter's.  This  is  a  generally  received 
impression,  found  in  guide-books,  but  it  is  all  in  my 
eye  Elizabeth  M.  It  is  no  such  thing.  The  roof 
is  of  Roman  cement,  and  is  as  clean  and  free  of 
any  incumbrance  as  the  slate  covering  of  any  sugar- 
house  in  West  Baton  Rouge.  From  the  main  roof, 
covered  with  copper  taken  from  the  Pantheon,  you 
ascend  the  dome.  It  is  double,  that  is,  an  inner 
and  an  outer  dome.  The  stairs  are  between,  admit- 
ting only  one  person  at  a  time.  Round  and  round 
you  go,  higher  and  higher,  up — up,  until  at  last  you 
reach  the  hall,  on  which  stands  the  cross.  By  a 
perpendicular  iron  ladder .  you  pass  up  into  the 
ball.  It  is  8  feet  in  diameter,  and  will  hold  16 
persons.  It  is  made  of  sheets  of  copper.  The  cross 
comes  next,  and  is  16  feet  in  height.  On  descending 
I  lingered  some  time  on  the  main  roof,  and  with 
glass  in  hand,  enjoyed  a  view  which  is  alone  vouch- 
safed to  those  who  make  pilgrimages  to  the  shrine 
of  St.  Peter.  On  one  side  lay  the  Appenines  and 
the  Alban  Hills,  while  on  the  other  were  the  blue 
waters  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  The  wide  and 
desolate  Campagna  was  spread  around  in  every  di- 
rection, and  you  fancied  you  could  smell  the  foul 
atmosphere   from   the  adjacent  Pontine  Marshes. 


OR,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUROPE.         211 

From  this  lofty  standpoint  every  object  of  interest 
in  the  city  can  be  easily  distinguished,  and  from 
this  favored  spot  the  setting  sun  is  distinctly  seen, 
as  he  seeks  his  watery  bed  in  the  bosom  of  the  sea. 

From  St.  Peter's  I  went  to  the  Tiber,  the  yellow 
Tiber,  and  spent  an  hour  on  its  muddy  shores. 
The  Castle  of  St.  Angelo  stands  on  its  banks,  and 
is  protected  by  all  the  appliances  of  walls  and  bas- 
tions, drawbridges,  etc.,  which  make  it  impregna- 
ble. It  is  at  present  filled  with  French  troops,  and 
is  under  the  command  of  Gen.  Guyon.  The  Tiber 
is  not  at  this  present  writing  "  troubled,"  nor  is 
"  she  chafing  with  her  shores,"  as  she  was  when 
Caesar  and  Cassius  swam  her,  although  it  is  a  rapid 
and  filthy-looking  stream,  and  I  should  think  a 
very  congenial  place  for  loggerhead  turtles  and 
mud  cats.  There  is  no  poetry  about  this  river.  It 
smells  too  bad. 

From  this  unsavory  river  I  wended  my  way 
slowly  to  my  hotel,  where  I  got  a  most  excellent 
dinner,  (they  live  well  in  Rome ;)  after  which  I  lit 
a  cigar,  and  strolled  down  the  Corso,  in  search  of 
amusement  for  the  evening.  I  had  not  gone  far 
before  I  met  with  my  friends  Forsyth  and  Robert- 
son, who  proposed  to  go  to  the  Coliseum,  and  to  the 
Coliseum  we  went.  This  is  an  immense  ruin,  and 
stands  the  proudest  monument  of  Rome's  ancient 
glory.  The  people  who  could  conceive  of,  plan,  and 
build  such  an  immense  affair,  must  have  been  an 
immense  people.  We  have  nothing  like  it  in  our 
country,  not  even  the  custom-house  in  New  Or- 


212       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER 


leans,  which,  when  completed,  is  to  be,  I  am  told, 
one  of  the  wonders  of  the  world.  As  we  ap- 
proached the  grand  old  rain  by  moonlight,  and  an- 
ticipated so  much  pleasure  in  threading  its  corri- 
dors and  arches,  and  viewing  its  interior  by  torch- 
light, we  were  abruptly  stopped  by  the  shrill  voice 
of  a  French  sentinel — "  Qui  va  la? "  We  replied, 
"  Americans,"  and  received  the  pleasing  answer, 
"Approchez,  Messieurs."  We  were  very  politely 
informed  that  the  commanding  general  had  ordered 
that  no  one  should  enter  the  Coliseum  after  night ; 
but  that  we  could  walk  around  it  in  every  direc- 
tion as  long  as  we  pleased.  We  availed  ourselves 
of  this,  and  spent  an  hour  or  two  in  viewing  this 
"  king  of  rains,"  by  the  light  of  an  Italian  moon. 

On  my  way  back  to  the  hotel,  I  discovered  at 
least  forty  separate  and  distinct  stinks  or  bad 
smells,  which  appear  to  infest  Eome,  and  come  out 
mostly  at  night.  With  the  aid  of  a  long  mous- 
tache, and  a  much  longer  segar,  I  managed,  how- 
ever, to  get  safe  to  my  room,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
I  found  myself  in  the  land  of  dreams — a-dreaming 
of  Romulus  and  JRemus  and  the  she-wolf — of  Livy 
and  Tacitus  and  Horace — and  my  old  schoolmaster, 
Philo  Calhoun,  who  used  to  flog  me  most  unmerci- 
fully on  account  of  not  knowing  exactly  what  these 
aforesaid  old  heathen  wrote  about.  I  awoke,  how- 
ever, in  the  morning,  refreshed  with  a  sound  and 
pleasant  sleep,  ready  for  work. 

He  who  wishes  to  learn  must  labor.  The  lazy 
traveller  had  better  stay  in  Paris,  and  while  away 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  213 


his  time  on  the  elegant  Boulevards,  and  in  the  lux- 
urious cafes.  And  thus  was  spent  my  first  day  in 
Rome.  I  shall  write  you  again  in  a  day  or  two. 
When  I  leave  here  I  shall  turn  my  face  homewards, 
and  hurry  back  as  fast  as  steam  can  carry  me. 
Adieu.  Truly  yours, 

H.  W.  A. 


214      TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER; 


LETTER    NO.  XXX. 

Hotel  t/Angleteree,  Rome,  Ita.lt, 
Oct.  15, 1859. 

Editors  Advocate  : 

Since  writing  you  a  day  or  two  ago,  I  have  Been 
a  good  deal  more  of  this  interesting  old  city.  I 
find  that  instead  of  tiring  here,  one  becomes  more 
interested  daily,  the  more  he  sees.  The  Yatican 
claims  the  first  attention  of  artists  visiting  Rome, 
for  here,  in  its  endless  galleries,  are  seen  the  best 
specimens  of  antique  art.  It  is  an  immense  pile 
of  buildings,  all  joined  together  in  one  palace,  be- 
ing 1,151  feet  long  and  767  feet  wide,  thus  cover- 
ing about  15  acres  of  ground  !  From  this  must 
be  taken,  of  course,  the  small  courts,  or  flower- 
gardens,  in  the  centre  of  the  palace.  There  are, 
in  this  remarkable  palace  over  4,000  rooms  :  what 
in  the  d — 1  they  do  with  them  all,  is  more  than  I 
can  tell !  The  pope  is  not  married,  and  conse- 
quently has  no  wife  and  children ;  Antonelli,  his 
prime  minister,  is  also  an  old  bachelor,  who  is  pro- 


OK,  BIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  215 

hibited  by  his  vows  from  even  batting  his  eye  at 
the  prettiest  girl  in  all  Rome.  This  palace  joins 
St.  Peter's  Church,  and  also  has  a  covered  secret 
walk  to  the  castle  of  St.  Angelo,  so  that  in  case  the 
Vatican  should  ever  get  too  hot  for  his  Holiness, 
he  can  rat  it  down  to  the  castle,  and  get  under  the 
big  guns.  The  statuary  and  paintings  of  the  Vati- 
can have  a  world-wide  celebrity.  The  "Apollo 
Belvidere,"  and  the  "  Laocoon,"  are  antique  treas- 
ures, which  all  the  mines  of  California  could  not 
purchase.  In  a  room  adjoining  the  Apollo  are  the 
"  Athletes,"  and  "  Perseus  with  the  Head  of  Me- 
dusa," by  Canova,  but  they  cannot  be  compared 
to  the  Apollo.  For  ages,  thousands  of  modern  art- 
ists have  attempted  to  make  copies  of  the  original, 
but  none  have  ever  equalled  it.  The  Apollo  stands 
pre-eminently  the  very  first  in  the  sculptor's  art. 
It  is  the  perfect  form  of  a  full-grown,  fine-looking, 
active,  healthy  man.  The  face  is  Grecian,  and  its 
features  are  highly  expressive  and  very  handsome, 
and  pleasing  to  look  at.  In  fact,  it  is  just  such  a 
face  and  such  a  figure  as  any  sensible  woman,  with 
good  taste,  would  fall  in  love  with.  On  the,  con- 
trary, the  Laocoon  is  painful  to  behold.  It  is,  by 
artists,  considered  as  a  fine  subject  for  the  study  of 
anatomy.  The  serpents  have  entwined  themselves 
around  the  father  and  his  two  sons  in  such  a  close 
embrace,  that  the  most  intense  agony  is  depicted 
in  their  countenances.  It  is  all  cut  from  one  block 
of  marble.  These  two  statues  have  elegant  apart- 
ments   appropriated   to   themselves,  separate   and 


216       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  J 

apart  from  the  rest,  and  are  daily  honored  with 
crowds  of  visitors.  In  the  Capitol  is  one  statue 
that  deserves  to  be  classed  along  with  them ;  it 
is  the  "  Dying  Gladiator."  This  statue  made  a 
greater  impression  on  my  mind  than  all  the  rest. 
The  cold  marble  almost  seems  to  speak,  and  to  tell 
the  sympathizing  stranger  the  sadness  that  op- 
presses the  soul  of  the  dying  man,  while  his  wife 
and  children  are  far  away  on  the  banks  of  the 
Danube. 

The  "  Infant  Hercules,"  in  the  Vatican,  is  a  line 
piece  of  antique  statuary,  in  a  most  admirable  state 
of  preservation.  The  face,  the  form,  the  stout  pins 
— in  fact,  the  whole  figure,  is  an  exact  likeness  of 
a  distinguished  young  lawyer,  formerly  of  West 
Baton  Rouge,  but  now  of  Iberville.  There  is  also 
here,  a  bust  of  the  Emperor  Vespasian,  which  is 
as  much  like  W.  "W".  Lenimen,  Esq.,  of  "West  Baton 
Rouge,  as  if  it  had  been  made  for  him  by  Michael 
Angelo,  or  Antonio  Canova.  In  every  species  of 
statuary  this  gallery  is  the  richest  in  the  world. 
From  a  contemplation  of  every  thing  that  is  grand, 
and  even  sublime,  in  the  way  of  sculpture,  you  pass 
on  into  the  Egyptian  Museum.  This  is  very  ex- 
tensive. Huge  lions  and  enormous  sphinxes,  marble 
sarcophagi  and  granite  crocodiles,  mummied  cats 
and  mummied  babies,  with  a  thousand  and  one 
other  Egyptian  curiosities,  almost  bewilder  the 
visitor,  as  he  plods  his  weary  way  through  the 
long  and  silent  corridors.  Further  on,  you  see  im- 
mense antique  vases  of  malachite  and  granite,  to- 


OK,  SEX  MONTHS  IN  EUROPE.         217 

gether  with  huge  allegorical  statues,  which  astonish 
you  not  only  with  the  grandeur,  but  with  the  vast- 
ness  of  the  aDcient  Romans. 

The  way  from  the  statuary  to  the  paintings  is 
short  and  direct,  and  when  once  you  have  been 
permitted  to  set  your  eyes  on  the  paintings  of  the 
Vatican,  you  may  go  home  and  say  you  are  satis- 
fied with  oil  and  canvas,  for  you  have  seen  it  all ! 
There  are  not  as  many  paintings  in  this  gallery  as  at 
Florence,  but  they  are  all  gems.  The  pride  of  the 
gallery,  of  course,  is  the  "  Transfiguration,"  by 
Raphael.  It  is  painted  on  wood,  and  is  generally 
considered  by  artists  to  be  the  finest  painting  in 
the  world.  It  is,  indeed,  astonishing  to  look  at. 
The  more  you  see  it,  the  longer  you  want  to  look 
at  it.  The  painting  contains  27  figures.  The 
Saviour  is  transfigured  in  the  clouds,  on  either  side 
are  Moses  and  Elias,  and  below  are  the  apostles 
and  the  people.  In  this  great  painting  are  two 
figures  which  stand  out  so  prominently,  and  are  so 
unlike,  that  you  can  never  forget  them.  The  one 
is  the  divine,  sweet  face  of  the  Saviour,  and  the 
other  is  the  pale,  bluish,  unearthly  countenance  of 
the  boy  that  is  possessed  of  a  devil,  and  brought 
by  his  father  to  be  healed. 

Next  comes  the  great  painting  of  "  The  Com- 
munion of  St.  Jerome,"  by  Domenichino.  St. 
Jerome  died  at  Bethlehem,  and  is  receiving  the 
sacrament  from  St.  Ephraim  of  Syria  ;  Santa  Paola 
is  on  her  knees,  kissing  the  hands  of  the  dying 
saint ;  the  Arab  and  the  lion  give  variety  to  the 
10 


218       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  J 

composition,  and  identify  the  scene  in  which  the 
representation  is  laid.  In  the  same  room  is  the 
tl  Madonna  da  Foligno,"  one  of  Raphael's  greatest 
efforts.  Poom  No.  4  contains  Titian's  best  pieces 
— his  "  Madonna  and  Child,"  his  "  St.  Sebastian," 
and  "  St.  Francis  with  the  Cross."  Here,  also,  are 
the  most  sublime  works  of  Guido,  Poussin,  Cor- 
reggio,  Caravaggio,  Perugino,  and  Guercino.  In 
passing  out  of  the  Vatican  you  meet  the  French 
soldiers  with  their  eternal  red  breeches ;  they  guard 
the  very  doors  of  St.  Peter's — in  fact,  rule  Pome  ; 
for  Gen.  Guyon  is  just  as  much  master  of  this  city 
as  ever  Augustus  Csesar  was. 

I  took  a  long  ride  to-day,  way  out  to  the  Alban 
Hills,  through  the  desert-like  Campagna.  I  went 
by  the  celebrated  "  Appian  "Way,"  and  found  it  to 
be  a  very  ordinary,  narrow  road,  only  14  feet  wide, 
paved  with  lava,  and  not  half  so  good  as  the  shell 
road  in  New  Orleans.  The  tombs  of  the  Scipios 
are  near  this  road.  They  are  built  like  so  many 
cells  under  ground,  and  present  a  very  dark  and 
gloomy  appearance.  They  are  dug  in  the  native 
tufa,  without  arches  of  brick  or  stone,  and  may  be 
considered  as  a  species  of  catacombs  on  a  small 
scale.  I  stopped  at  the  tomb  of  old  Africanus,  (for 
his  ashes  are  here,)  and  wished  his  soul  a  happy 
time,  in  company  with  the  best  gods  of  ancient 
Pome,  for  old  Africanus  was  a  trump  ! 

There  is  not  much  beauty  in  Pome ;  occasion- 
ally you  meet  with  a  pretty  face.  The  women 
here,  by  a  strange  coincidence,  all  appear  to  be 


OE,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  219 

enceinte  at  this  present  writing.    Why  so,  I  can- 
not tell. 

The  desert  Campagna,  which  surrounds  Rome 
on  all  sides,  is  filled  with  ruins — immense  ruins — 
with  occasional  olive  trees.  This  tree  seems  to 
grow  here  indigenous,  and  without  any  cultivation 
whatever.  It  attains,  in  the  Campagna,  a  very 
large  size,  and  affords  shade  to  the  huge  white 
oxen,  which  are  reared  here  in  great  numbers.  In 
my  last  letter  I  spoke  of  the  Colisuem ;  since  which 
time  I  have  visited  it  frequently,  and  spent  much 
time  on  its  immense  walls.  It  is  a  huge  affair. 
The  area  contained  in  this  monster  amphitheatre  is 
six  acres  ;  the  walls  are  157  feet  high,  and  of  vast 
thickness.  "When  this  enormous  structure  was  in 
its  palmiest  days  under  the  reign  of  Titus,  there 
could  be  seated  in  it  80,000  people  at  one  time. 
Here  were  gladiatorial  sports  kept  up  for  the  amuse- 
ment of  the  people,  and  here  many  a  primitive 
Christian  was  torn  to  pieces  by  wild  beasts,  to 
grace  a  Eoman  holiday.  Notwithstanding  many 
modern  palaces  have  been  built  from  the  ruins  of 
this  "  mighty  relic,"  still  it  is  in  a  good  state  of 
preservation,  and  is  now  protected  by  the  civil 
authorities,  who  keep  soldiers  stationed  there  day 
and  night.  The  Baths  of  Titus  are  close  by,  and 
are  built  on  the  same  grand  scale.  Although 
nearly  two  thousand  years  old,  still  the  frescos  on 
the  arches  are,  in  many  places,  as  fresh  and  beau- 
tiful as  ever.  The  modern  Romans  seem  to  have 
but  little  reverence  for  the  classic  works  of  their  an- 


220      TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER; 

cestors.  The  once  beautiful  Temple  of  Minerva  is 
now  a  baker's  shop,  where  black  bread  and  villan- 
ous  macaroni  are  sold. 

The  Pantheon  is  a  wonderful  building.  It  has 
a  portico  of  sixteen  granite  columns,  with  white 
marble  Corinthian  caps.  The  centre  of  the  im- 
mense dome  is  still  left  open  at  the  top.  It  is  used 
as  a  church,  and  here  lie  the  remains  of  the  great 
Raphael.  The  portico  of  the  Pantheon  is  con- 
sidered to  be  the  most  perfect  specimen  of  ancient 
architecture  now  in  existence.  The  column  of 
Trajan  is  one  of  the  "  lions  "  of  Rome,  and  stands 
unrivalled  for  beauty  of  proportion  and  elegant  bas- 
reliefs.  From  this,  no  doubt,  Napoleon  I.  took  his 
design  for  the  column  at  the  Place  Vendome,  in 
Paris.  The  Corso  is  the  fashionable  street  along 
which,  every  evening,  elegant  carriages  are  seen 
driving  to  the  Piazza  del  Popolo.  Just  above  this 
piazza  is  the  Pincian  Hill,  which  is  ascended  by 
a  winding  way.  On  the  top  are  most  elegant  gar- 
dens, filled  with  fountains  and  flowers.  Here  the 
elite  of  Pome  assemble  every  evening  to  listen  to 
the  French  Imperial  band.  From  this  beautiful 
garden  all  Rome  lies  before  you  as  a  map,  and  you 
can  easily  count  the  famous  seven  hills  on  which 
the  city  is  built.  Here,  also,  is  the  place  to  see 
the  famous  Italian  sunset.  Believe  me,  it  is  all  a 
humbug,  for  the  skies  are  no  brighter  here  than  in 
Louisiana. 

The  pope  resides  during  the  winter  at  the  Vati- 
can.   He  left  on  yesterday,  for  his  summer  residence 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUROPE.         221 

in  the  country.    I  had  just  crossed  the  Tiber  on 
my  way  to  St.  Peter's,  when  his  carriage  came 
along,  heralded  by  his  Swiss  body  guards.     I  got 
out  of  my  cab,  and  took  a  good  look  at  his  Holi- 
ness.    He  put  his  hand   out  of  the  window  and 
blessed  the  people  as  he  passed   along,  most  of 
whom  fell  on  their  knees.    He  is  regarded  here  as 
a  good  man,  but  as  weak  as  he  is  good,  in  permit- 
ting himself  to  be  ruled  by  his  prime  minister,  An- 
tonelli.     The  Perugia  affair  was  a  very  bad  piece 
of  business,  and  has  injured  his  Holiness  very  much 
in  the  estimation  of  his  own  people.     You  will  re- 
member that,  a  few  months  since,  the  people  of 
Perugia,  like  the  people  of  Bologna,  and  other 
Papal    States,   expelled  the    Pope's   legates,   and 
threw  off  the  Papal  government.     It  was  during 
the  war  between  the  French  and  Austrians,  when 
all  Italy  was  unsettled.    The  Pope  sent  2,000  Swiss 
soldiers  to  punish  the  people  of  Perugia,  and  whip 
them  into  allegiance  again.     They  fell  upon  the 
unarmed  village,  and  killed,  wounded,  and  robbed 
indiscriminately.    Many  women  and  children  were 
brutally  murdered,  and  much  property  destroyed. 
Instead  of  censuring  the  brutal  soldiery  for  their 
horrid  murders,  he  has  promoted  the  commanding 
officer  of  the  expedition,  and  distributed  medals 
among  the  subalterns.     I  have  heard  no  man  in 
Eome  speak  an  unkind  word  of  the  Pope.    He  is 
regarded  by  all  classes  as  a  good,  conscientious 
man,  exceedingly  pious,  and  amiable,  and  kind- 
hearted.     But  all  blame,  and  even  denounce  his 


222       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  J 

premier,  Anton elli,  in  most  violent  language,  as 
the  author  of  all  the  evils  of  the  present  govern- 
ment. Affairs  here,  at  present,  are  very  compli- 
cated. If  it  were  not  for  French  bayonets,  the 
Pope  could  not  stay  in  Rome  twenty-four  hours. 
The  people — the  masses — the  rich  and  poor,  the 
high  and  low,  are  all  opposed  to  the  present  Papal 
government,  and  are  crying  aloud  for  reform,  but 
Antonelli  will  not  give  an  inch.  He  is  proud  and 
haughty,  cruel  and  vindictive. 

"  The  day  will  come — that  great  avenging  day, 
When  Troy's  proud  glory  in  the  dust  shall  lay  ; 
When  Priam's  power  and  Priam's  self  shall  fall, 
And  one  prodigious  ruin  swallow  all." 

I  believe  it.  Yes,  the  day  will  come  when  the 
temporal  power  of  the  Pope  will  fall.  It  ought  to 
fall.  Any  government  that  has  to  be  backed  up 
by  foreign  bayonets  ;  that  steadfastly  refuses  a  trial 
by  jury  ;  that  seizes  state  prisoners  without  a  hear- 
ing, locks  them  up  in  the  felon's  cell,  there  to  rot, 
deserves  to  be  rooted  out  from  the  face  of  the  civil- 
ized earth.  I  undertake  to  say,  that  in  Rome  and 
Naples  there  is  less  real  piety,  and  more  high- 
handed, unblushing  wickedness,  than  in  any  other 
two  cities  in  Christendom. 

Rome  has  30,000  priests  and  10,000  artists! 
The  college  of  the  "  Propaganda  Fidei "  is  also 
crowded.  Here  are  students  from  all  parts  of  the 
earth — Malays  and  Nubians,  Hindoos  and  Japan- 
ese, Algerines  and  Arabs,  North  American  Yan- 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  223 

kees  and  South  American  natives,  all  mixed  up,  in 
long  black  gowns  and  three-cornered  caps. 

I  have,  since  I  arrived  here,  called  on  our  coun- 
trywoman, Miss  Hosmer.  She  has  already  taken 
a  high  position  as  a  sculptress,  and  has  just  finished 
in  plaster  her  Zenobia.  It  is  the  first  ever  at- 
tempted by  any  sculptor,  I  believe,  and  is  a  won- 
derful production  for  a  young  woman,  and  she 
from  New  England  !  Mr.  Gibson,  the  English 
sculptor,  was  very  kind  to  me,  and  was  good 
enough  to  take  me  into  his  studio,  and  show  me 
his  painted  or  stained  Yenus,  that  is  creating  so 
much  sensation  in  Home.  It  is  a  very  beautiful 
piece  of  statuary,  and  is  decidedly  new ;  it  being 
the  only  one,  I  believe,  ever  treated  in  this  man- 
ner. It  is  stained  a  deep  pink  color,  and  attracts 
much  attention  and  great  criticism  among  the  dil- 
ettanti. 

I  would  like  to  write  you  more  about  Rome,  but 
must  close  this  already  long  letter.  There  are  so 
many  curiosities  here — so  many  pure  fountains, 
gushing  up  with  cool,  refreshing  waters — so  many 
many  splendid  churches — so  many  grand  old  ruins 
— so  many  pretty  contadinas  in  their  bright-colored 
garments — that  Rome  becomes  a  world  within  itself, 
and  furnishes  endless  objects  of  attraction  to  the 
classic  scholar,  the  matter-of-fact  traveller,  or  the 
seeker  of  fun,  frolic,  and  pleasure.  In  the  Palazzo 
Borghese,  in  the  Barberini,  the  Quirinal,  and  the  Co- 
lonna,  are  paintings  without  number,  three  of  which, 
alone,  would  attract  more  attention  than  every  paint- 


224       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

ing  in  our  country  put  together ;  they  are  "  the 
Beatrice  Cenci,"  by  Guido,  "  the  Chase  of  Diana," 
by  Domenichino,  and  "  the  Sacred  and  Profane 
Love,"  by  Titian. 

This  being  my  last  evening  in  Rome,  I  paid 
my  respects  to,  and  took  leave  of,  the  "Apollo" 
and  the  "  Transfiguration."  As  I  came  down  the 
large  steps  of  the  Vatican  I  crossed  the  Piazza,  and 
took  off  my  hat  to  St.  Peter's ;  passing  the  fountain 
near  the  Obelisk,  I  drank  freely  of  its  pure  and  re- 
freshing water,  and  with  hurried  step  hastened  on 
to  the  Piazza  del  Popolo.  Here  I  passed  the  gate, 
and  in  a  few  moments  was  seated  under  the  tall 
pine  trees  of  the  Yilla  Borghese.  "While  the  breeze 
was  gently  roaring  through  the  pines,  I  fell  asleep 
and  dreamed  of  home.  I  saw  the  black  smoke 
rising  from  the  tall  chimneys  on  the  banks  of  the 
Mississippi,  and  heard  the  loud  puff  of  the  sugar- 
mills,  mingled  with  the  happy  songs  of  the  negroes. 

Farewell,  Eternal  City !  Farewell,  a  long  fare- 
well, to  thy  grandeur  and  thy  glory,  to  thy  stately 
palaces  and  grand  old  ruins !  Farewell  to  thy 
works  of  art,  on  brilliant  canvas  and  pure  pale 
marble  !  I  am  tired  of  you  all.  I  go  back  to  "  the 
land  of  the  west,  the  beautiful  west,"  where  the 
unsubstantial  arts  and  sciences  are  but  little  culti- 
vated, but  where  land — terra  firma — mother  earth 
— is  cultivated ;  where  every  arpent  produces  two 
hogsheads  of  sugar,  and  every  acre  a  bale  of  cotton. 
Where  the  plough,  the  loom,  and  the  anvil  are 
more  thought  of  than  the  "  Apollo  Belvidere,"  the 


OK,  BIX  MONTHS  IN  EUROPE,         225 

"  Transfiguration,"  or  the  "Dying  Gladiator;" 
where  the  painter  is  a  practical  mechanic,  and  uses 
his  brush,  as  a  painter  should,  on  weather-boards 
and  wagon-wheels,  and  where  the  knights  of  the 
chisel  much  prefer  white  pine  and  cypress  to  Car- 
rara marble.  Yes,  I  am  returning  to  the  only  land 
of  liberty  and  equality  on  which  the  sun  shines, 
and  where  John  Smith  and  William  Muggins  are 
just  as  much  respected  as  my  Lord  Tomnoddy,  or 
his  Grace  the  Duke  of  Tobaccojuice,  provided  al- 
ways they  are  law-abiding  citizens,  and  deport 
themselves  as  gentlemen. 

Good-bye :  I  leave  to-morrow  morning  at  6 
o'clock,  by  the  train,  for  Civita  Vecchia,  and  hope 
to  be  in  Paris  in  three  days  and  a  half. 

Truly  yours, 

H.  W.  A. 
10* 


226      TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER; 


LETTER    NO.    XXXI. 

HOME    AGAIN 

West  Baton  Rouge,  La.,  Dec,  1860. 
Editors  Advocate  : 

"  My  home— my  home — my  happy  home- 
Spot  ever,  ever  dear  to  me : 
Where'er  I  go,  where'er  I  roam, 
My  heart  still  fondly  clings  to  thee." 

After  a  very  long  voyage  across  the  "  stormy 
sea,"  I  am  at  last  quietly  and  comfortably  seated 
at  my  own  hearth-stone,  "  taking  mine  ease  in  mine 
own  inn."  I  hear  the  loud  puff  of  the  sugar-mill, 
and  the  cheerful  song  of  the  happy  negroes  at 
work  in  the  cane-fields.  All  now  is  bustle  and  life 
on  the  sugar-coast,  for  the  canes  must  now  be  saved 
or  be  forever  lost.  How  different  are  my  feelings 
now,  from  what  they  were  one  short  month  ago,  in 
the  city  of  London.  I  hope,  my  dear  sirs,  that 
neither  you  nor  any  of  your  kind  readers  may  ever 
be  sick  from  home.     The  Arabs  have  a  parting 


OK,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUKOPE.  227 


wish,  a  kind  of  benediction,  which,  no  one  can  prop- 
erly appreciate,  unless  he  has  once  been  on  a  bed  of 
sickness  in  the  " stranger's  land."  It  is  this :  "May 
you  die  at  home  among  your  friends."  Now  this 
matter  of  dying  is  not  a  very  agreeable  subject  at 
any  time  to  think  about,  and  especially  when  seated 
upon  that  "  pale  horse,"  the  aspect  of  death  is  any 
thing  but  inviting  to  a  sensible  man.  But  few  that 
I  know  of  have  their  "  houses  set  in  order,"  and 
none  are  ready  to  "cross  that  melancholy  flood 
that  poets  write  of."  All  dread  the  road  which 
leads  to  that  "  undiscovered  country  "  from  whose 
bourne  no  traveller  has  ever  yet  returned.  In  a 
strange  land,  far  away  from  home,  from  kindred, 
and  from  friends,  the  heart  yearns  for  even  one  fa- 
miliar kind  face.  If  ever  friendship's  hand  is 
wanted,  it  is  then.  If  ever  affection's  smile  is 
needed,  then,  oh !  then  is  the  time. 

To  Mr.  Wm.  Forsyth,  of  Temple  Bar,  Q.  C,  a 
distinguished  lawyer  of  London,  I  am  under  last- 
ing obligations.  He  was  kind  and  attentive  to  me 
during  my  long  and  severe  illness.  Mr.  Beverly 
Tucker,  our  worthy  consul  at  Liverpool,  I  can  never 
forget;  for  hearing  of  my  illness,  he  wrote  to  friends 
in  London  to  call  and  see  me,  and  do  every  thing 
requisite  for  my  cure  and  comfort.  These  friends 
paid  me  every  attention,  and  offered  every  assist- 
ance, and  in  due  course  of  time  I  recovered. 

From  Liverpool  I  shipped  to  Boston  on  board 
the  Cunard  steamer  Canada,  in  the  very  midst  of  a 
storm.     So  great  was  the  anticipated  danger,  that 


228       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

four  passengers  who  came  down  to  the  ship,  refused 
to  come  on  board,  giving  up  their  passage-money 
and  their  state-rooms,  and  bidding  the  captain 
good-bye,  with  the  consoling  remark  (to  us)  that 
they  "  didn't  care  about  getting  drowned  that  trip." 
In  going  out  of  the  Mersey  it  blew  a  perfect  hurri- 
cane. All  dreaded  the  terrible  fate  of  the  East 
Indiaman,  which  had  gone  on  the  rocks  here  only  a 
few  weeks  before,  drowning  500  passengers.  Our 
good  ship,  however,  weathered  the  storm  full  well, 
and  in  the  course  of  48  hours'  hard  steaming,  we 
landed  in  the  "  Cove  of  Cork."  Here  we  took  in 
the  royal  mails,  and  set  out  again  for  the  broad  At- 
lantic. "We  had  scarcely  struck  old  Ocean,  when 
the  gale  began  afresh,  and  then  for  "  twelve  long 
stormy  days  and  stormy  nights,  we  were  tossed 
upon  the  raging  sea."  The  steamer  shipped,  as 
they  call  it,  a  great  deal  of  water,  generally  carry- 
ing from  eight  to  ten  inches  on  deck.  Of  course 
we  were  all  very  sea-sick,  and  many  suffered  much. 
We  had  on  board  a  Catholic  priest  from  Boston. 
He  was  very  much  frightened  during  the  whole 
trip,  and  as  each  big  wave  would  strike  the  ship 
and  jar  the  bulwarks,  he  would  jump  up  out  of  his 
berth  and  cross  himself.  On  a  certain  occasion  he 
had  gone  up  into  the  cabin,  and  before  he  could 
reach  a  chair,  the  ship  gave  a  lurch,  and  threw  him 
head  foremost  under  the  table.  He  rose  as  pale  as 
death,  crossed  himself,  and  took  his  seat.  The  cap- 
tain about  that  time  came  along,  and  he  said  to 
him,  "  Captain,  how  much  longer  do  you  think  this 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUKOPE.  229 

storm  will  last  ? "  The  captain  replied  he  could 
not  tell,  but  hoped  it  would  be  over  in  a  few  days  ! 

"  My  Lord !  "  said  he,  "  Captain,  you  don't  think 
it  will  last  several  days  longer,  do  you  ? "  and  then 
he  crossed  himself  again. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  captain,  "  I  think  it  will  last  at 
least  a  week  !  " 

"  Then,"  cried  our  poor  priest,  "  there  is  no 
hope  for  me.  I  have  an  aged  mother  in  Boston,  87 
years  old.  If  this  storm  does  not  cease  very  soon, 
she  will  live  longer  than  I  will !  " 

But  "behind  a  frowning  Providence"  there  was 
a  smiling  face.  The  good  ship  arrived  safe,  and 
our  pious  priest,  I  hope,  may  live  full  many  a  year, 
to  tell  his  flock  of  the  perils  of  the  sea,  and  of  the 
saving  arm  of  Him  who  walks  upon  the  waters  of 
the  deep. 

I  often,  in  my  own  mind,  draw  a  comparison 
between  our  own  country  and  the  old  world.  True, 
we  have  no  paintings  here,  for  in  the  Pitti  Palace 
at  Florence,  there  are  more  good  paintings  than  on 
the  whole  of  the  American  continent.  In  statuary, 
also,  we  are  far  behind.  In  the  manufactory  of 
silks  and  satins,  fine  cloths,  poplins,  linens  and 
laces,  we  cannot  pretend  to  compete  with  the  looms 
of  Europe.  But  in  all  the  articles  of  actual  neces- 
sity, such  as  linseys  and  jeans,  heavy  cotton  goods 
and  calicoes,  farming  utensils,  boots,  shoes,  and 
heavy  cutlery,  in  steam-engines,  saw-mills,  and  all 
sorts  of  useful  machinery,  we  are,  I  am  proud  to 


230       TEAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  J 

say,  a  long  way  ahead  of  any  thing  "  across  the 
water." 

Books  are  fully  as  well  published  with  us,  and 
just  as  well  bound,  as  they  are  in  London,  and  at 
least  one-half  cheaper.  For  instance,  for  a  copy  of 
the  "  Idyls  of  the  King,"  by  Tennyson,  I  paid  in 
Liverpool  $2.50.  In  New  York  the  same  book  can 
be  had  for  $1.  Taking  New  York  as  a  fair  sam- 
ple of  an  American  city,  and  London  as  a  Euro- 
pean, I  find  that  ?our  houses  are  generally  better 
built,  and  in  a  much  more  tasteful  and  elegant 
style.  There  is  no  such  street  in  London  as  Fifth 
Avenue,  nor  any  at  all  comparable  to  Broadway. 
Regent  and  Oxford  Streets  are  the  finest  in  that 
great  city,  but  they  have  no  buildings  on  either  of 
them  like  the  great  hotels,  or  those  splendid  mar- 
ble palaces  on  Broadway.  In  hotels,  we  beat  the 
world. 

An  Englishman  is  not  generally  a  social  being. 
He  prefers  his  club  to  a  public  hotel,  and  therefore 
you  seldom  see  him  in  his  native  country  about  a 
hotel.  He  orders  his  mutton-chops,  or  his  roast- 
beef  and  potatoes,  and  quietly  by  himself  eats  and 
drinks  to  his  fill.  With  an  American  it  is  quite 
different.  He  puts  up  at  a  first-class  hotel,  for  he 
wants  to  see  his  friends.  He  wants  to  talk  with 
them,  and  drink  with  them,  and  perhaps  to  take  a 
"  little  frolic  "  with  them. 

In  the  large  dining-rooms  of  the  St.  Nicholas, 
the  Metropolitan,  and  the  Fifth  Avenue,  you  will 
every  day,  at  about  4  o'clock,  P.  M.,  see  the  most 


OE,  SIX  MONTHS  IN  EUEOPE.         231 

cheerful,  the  most  elegant  and  agreeable  assem- 
blages that  the  wide  world  can  produce.  There 
are  no  such  hotels  in  London.  There  is  but  one 
such  in  Paris,  the  Hotel  du  Louvre.  It  is,  howev- 
er, not  properly  managed.  Their  table  d'hote  is  at 
6  P.  M.,  and  not  one-third  of  the  visitors  attend  it. 
They  generally  dine  at  the  restaurants,  and  break- 
fast at  the  cafes.  I  never  saw  at  the  dinner-table 
of  the  Louvre  more  than  75  persons.  "With  us  500 
guests  sit  down  together  in  the  same  dining-saloon. 
The  waiters  are  so  well  arranged,  that  all  are  duly 
attended  to  in  proper  time.  This  crowd  would  run 
an  untravelled  Englishman  perfectly  crazy.  lie 
would  order  more  'alf  and  'alf,  port-wine,  and 
Scotch  whiskey,  until  he  drank  himself  perfectly 
oblivious. 

It  is,  however,  as  an  agricultural  people,  that 
we  excel  the  rest  of  the  world.  The  broad  acres 
of  corn,  and  wheat,  and  oats,  and  rye ;  the  large 
fields  of  tobacco  and  of  rice,  the  extensive  plan- 
tations of  cotton  and  sugar-cane,  these  make  the 
United  States  the  greatest  producing  community 
on  the  face  of  the  earth.  We  now  clothe  the 
world.  We  could,  if  it  were  necessary,  not  only 
feed  the  world,  but  add  to  its  sweet  contentment, 
hogsheads  of  pure  sugar,  and  "  oceans  "  of  molasses. 

I  met  a  very  intelligent  Englishman  and  his 
wife  in  Yenice.  We  were  together  several  days. 
Said  he  to  me  one  day,  "  Sir,  I  am  from  Lincoln- 
shire, the  great  grain-growing  county  of  England. 
We  have  there  some  farmers  who  cultivate  as  much 


232       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

as  200  acres  of  land  !  "  I  smiled  at  this  innocent 
boast,  and  informed  my  English  friend  that  in  Lou- 
isiana there  were  many  planters  who  cultivated 
1,000  acres  in  cotton,  and  fully  as  much  in  corn 
and  sugar-cane.  The  well-fed  Britisher  gave  me 
an  incredulous  blink  of  his  eye,  as  if  he  wished  me 
plainly  to  understand  that  there  was  such  a  thing 
in  the  world  as  gassing  ;  but  when  I  reminded  him 
that  we  made  4,000,000  bales  of  cotton,  and  400,000 
hogsheads  of  sugar,  he  finally  agreed  that  his 
"  American  cousins  "  were  a  great  people. 

England  imports  most  of  her  breadstuff's.  Her 
lands  are  mostly  appropriated  to  the  growth  of  food 
for  horses  and  cattle,  and  to  gardening  purposes. 
Indian  corn  does  not  do  well  in  any  portion  of 
Great  Britain.  Wheat,  rye,  barley  and  potatoes, 
horse-beans,  turnips  and  beets,  and  most  of  all  the 
grasses,  are  the  principal  crops.  Labor  here  is 
cheap,  in  country  and  in  city.  The  very  best  of 
female  labor  can  be  had  for  6  shillings  per  week, 
or  20  cents  per  day !  No  laboring  man  in  Great 
Britain  receives  over  40  cents  per  day,  and  a  great 
many  from  15  to  20  cents ;  consequently,  if  you 
should  happen  to  get  out  of  "  l'argent "  in  the  old 
country,  and  have  not  in  your  possession  good 
letters  of  credit,  whatever  sickly  sentimentalists 
and  moon-struck  philosophers  may  say  to  the  con- 
trary, you  will  find  that  your  money  is  your  best 
friend  in  a  strange  land,  or  in  fact  any  other  land. 

In  England  the  farmers  use  a  great  deal  of 
guano  and  compost,  and  other  manures.     The  land 


OK,  BIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  233 


is  forced  to  its  utmost  capacity,  for  it  rents  fre- 
quently for  £5,  that  is,  $25  per  acre.  These  lands 
are  of  course  valued  very  high.  Most  of  them 
can't  be  bought  at  any  price.  The  most  inferior 
bring  readily  $500  per  acre. 

I  saw  no  Indian  corn  growing  in  any  part  of 
Europe,  except  near  Vienna  and  in  Italy.  On  the 
Mincio  and  the  Po  it  flourishes  well,  and  that,  to- 
gether with  rice,  now  forms  the  principal  food  for 
the  poorer  classes  in  Lombardy. 

Our  young  orators,  in  their  Fourth-of-July 
speeches,  are  given  to  "  sail  the  American  eagle  " 
too  much.  They  boast  that  we  could  whip  the 
world  in  arms.  Now  if  these  aforesaid  "  spread- 
eagle  gentry  "  would  only  take  a  short  trip  to  Eu- 
rope, and  see  the  military  strength  of  only  the 
"  four  great  powers,"  they  would  come  home  per- 
fectly satisfied  that  we  had  better  attend  to  our 
own  affairs,  and  let  others  alone.  I  confess,  that 
so  far  as  I  am  concerned,  it  took  out  of  me  all 
that  extra  patriotic  conceit  which  seems  to  be 
part  and  parcel  of  every  American  citizen ;  for  be- 
yond the  "  dark  rolling  Danube,"  are  millions  of 
people  who  have  never  heard  of  the  United  States 
of  America !  It  is  true,  the  name  of  "Washington 
has  gone  into  every  civilized,  and  even  semi-bar- 
barous land,  but  I  met  with  well-dressed  people  in 
Austria,  who  had  never  heard  of  Washington,  and 
when  I  told  them  that  I  was  from  America,  they 
asked  me  what  America !    This  certainly  bespeaks 


234       TEAVELS  OF  A  SUGAK  PLANTER 


great  ignorance  in  the  Austrian  empire,  but  such  is 
the  fact. 

We  are  no  doubt  a  great  people,  numbering, 
now,  33,000,000  of  inhabitants,  a  greater  popula- 
tion than  England,  Ireland,  and  Scotland  combined. 
Our  flag  is  respected  on  every  sea,  and  our  people 
kindly  treated  in  every  land.  Americans  are  pop- 
ular everywhere.  As  travellers,  they  do  not  inter- 
fere with  the  local  governments  of  the  country,  but 
spend  their  money  freely  and  pass  on.  "While  in 
Leghorn,  Florence,  or  Rome,  I  felt  just  as  safe  as  if 
I  had  been  in  my  own  parlor  at  home,  for  the  Wa- 
bash was  in  the  Mediterranean.  She  is  the  finest 
steamship  that  ever  passed  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar, 
and  has  given  the  old  fogies  of  the  Levant  some 
idea  of  the  naval  power  of  our  country.  I  know 
that  it  has  become  fashionable,  in  certain  quarters, 
to  say  that  our  government  does  not  give  ample 
protection  to  her  citizens  while  abroad.  Such  is 
not  the  fact.  No  government  in  the  world  guards 
and  protects  the  rights  of  its  citizens  abroad  more 
than  ours  at  Washington,  and  I  undertake  to  say, 
that  in  Europe  no  persons  are  treated  as  well  as 
Americans. 

In  music,  that  is,  instrumental,  we  cannot  com- 
pare with  Dresden  and  Vienna.  In  opera,  of  course 
Italy  and  France  bear  the  palm,  but  in  men  and 
women,  in  the  manly  form,  and  the  lovely  features 
of  the  "  face  divine,"  we  can  beat  the  world. 

In  London  the  great  masses  of  the  young  men 
are  "  apprentices."     I  attended  one  of  their  pic- 


OK,  SIX   MONTHS   IN   EUROPE.  235 

nics,  or  holidays,  at  Hampton  Court,  and  saw  about 
10,000  assembled  together.  I  have  never  seen 
such  a  large  number  of  such  small  men  assembled 
together.  JSTot  one  among  the  whole  number 
seemed  to  be  6  feet  high,  but  all  below  the  medium 
height,  delicate  and  thin.  The  noble  race  of  Brit- 
ons is  certainly  degenerating  in  the  city.  In  the 
country  they  are  still  robust,  strong,  and  healthy. 
It  is  the  same  way  with  the  women  among  the 
working  classes.  Their  haggard  and  melancholy 
faces  remind  me  of  Tom  Hood's  "  Song;  of  the 
Shirt."  Stitch — stitch — stitch,— work— work—work, 
is  written  on  every  lineament  of  their  pale  and 
care-worn  features.  Thank  God,  our  black  slaves 
are  well  fed ;  they  are  properly  cared  for  in  sick- 
ness and  in  health,  and  when  old  age  comes  on, 
they  are  not  sent  to  the  poor-house  to  "  linger  and 
to  die,"  but  in  good  warm  cabins,  in  the  midst  of 
abundance,  and  under  their  master's  eye,  they  live 
to  great  old  age.  I  do  think  that  an  old  negro 
slave,  who  has  labored  faithfully  for  his  master,  is 
the  happiest  human  being  of  the  laboring  classes 
I  ever  saw.  At  the  age  of  sixty  he  is  generally 
free,  no  labor  being  required  of  him.  All  on  the 
plantation  respect  and  esteem  him  very  highly. 
His  children  and  grandchildren  take  pleasure  in 
serving  him,  while  his  master  and  mistress  delight 
in  giving  him  those  delicate  attentions  so  grateful 
to  old  age.  If  his  mind  turns  upon  religion,  he 
makes  the  most  pious  and  exemplary  Christian,  and 
prays  that  all  on  the  "  old  plantation  "  may  at  last 


236       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER  ; 

meet  in  heaven.  From  New  Orleans  to  Richmond 
— from  Charleston  to  St.  Louis — you  will  not  find 
one  black  beggar.  How  different  in  London,  in 
Liverpool,  in  Dublin.  In  all  these  great  cities 
they  besiege  the  traveller,  and  in  the  most  impor- 
tunate manner  appeal  to  him  for  bread.  Go  to  the 
work-house,  and  there  you  will  see  the  aged  poor 
crowded  together  in  miserable  cells,  compelled  to 
work  in  order  to  get  bread  to  eat.  In  every  civil- 
ized community,  the  work-house  is  considered  a 
"  house  of  disgrace."  In  London  it  is  not,  but 
thousands  crowd  to  it  in  cold  weather,  and  beg 
to  be  admitted ;  beg  for  a  roof  to  shelter  their 
white  hairs,  for  fire  to  warm  their  aged  limbs,  for 
bread  to  "  keep  dear  life  afloat."  I  have  witnessed 
this  misery,  this  wretchedness,  in  the  streets  of  the 
British  capital  and  in  her  provincial  towns,  and  on 
returning  to  my  own  State  I  am  truly  thankful  to 
an  overruling  Providence,  that  we  have  no  parsimo- 
nious poor-houses,  where  ragged,  starving  poverty  is 
farmed  out  to  the  lowest  bidder ;  no  work-houses, 
plethoric  with  aged  vice  and  youthful  crime  ;  but 
that  all  who  wish  it,  can  find  employment — all  get 
enough  to  eat,  and  that  every  human  being  within 
the  broad  limits  of  the  State  of  Louisiana  should  be 
contented  and  happy. 

In  returning  to  my  own  home,  I  do  so  perfectly 
contented,  perfectly  satisfied.  I  would  not  ex- 
change my  own  humble  plantation  on  the  banks  of 
the  Mississippi  for  the  proudest  barony  of  old  Eng- 
land.    As  a  planter,  I  much  prefer  the  cultivation 


OK,  6IX  MONTHS  IN  EUROPE.         237 

of  cotton,  and  corn,  and  sugar  cane,  to  beets  and 
hops,  to  turnips  and  potatoes.  As  an  investment, 
I  am  thoroughly  satisfied  that  an  acre  of  sugar  cane 
will  produce  twice  as  much — that  is,  will  net  double 
as  much — as  an  acre  of  any  English  crop.  Still,  as 
an  American,  I  must  say  that  the  English  are  a 
great  people.  They  possess  many  noble  traits  of 
character,  and  under  a  cold  and  haughty  exterior, 
they  carry  a  warm  and  generous  heart.  They  have 
their  foolish  prejudices,  their  whims  and  caprices, 
but  when  once  you  know  an  Englishman  well, 
break  the  outer  shell,  and  get  into  his  confidence, 
you  will  find  him  "  as  sweet  as  summer  and  as  true 
as  steel." 

This  letter  closes  this  volume.  If  the  kind 
reader  has  been  instructed,  or  even  amused,  in  its 
perusal,  the  author's  labors  will  not  be  entirely  lost. 
At  the  urgent  solicitation  of  numerous  warm  friends, 
he  has  consented  to  give  his  travels  to  the  public. 
The  question  is  often  asked,  "  How  much  does  it 
cost  to  take  a  trip  to  Europe  ? "  Now,  for  the  ben- 
efit of  those  who  may,  at  some  future  day,  wish  to 
take  the  trip,  I  will  give  the  result  of  my  experience 
and  observation.  The  table  on  p.  2±6  is  made  out 
for  one  who  wished  to  travel  in  a  plain,  unpretend- 
ing style  ;  to  stop  at  the  best  hotels  ;  enjoy  all,  and 
see  all,  that  the  most  curious  or  fastidious  could  de- 
sire. From  this,  you  will  plainly  perceive  that  a 
trip  to  Europe  will  not  cost  any  more  than  the 
usual  northern  tour,  or  a  season  at  the  Virginia 
springs.     Those  who  can  make  up  their  minds  to 


238       TRAVELS  OF  A  SUGAR  PLANTER. 

stand  a  little  sea-sickness,  will  be  most  amply  re- 
paid, for  a  warmhearted  welcome  will  await  them 
wherever  they  go.  England  claims  kin  with 
America,  and  is  daily  drawing  more  closely  the 
bonds  of  friendship.  She  looks  to  us  as  her  natural 
ally.  France  has  ever  been  our  good  friend,  and 
the  emperor  looks  upon  Louisiana  with  especial 
favor,  having  many  warm  personal  friends  in  our 
midst.  In  Germany,  the  students  are  more  than 
kind  to  all  Americans,  and  share  with  you  their 
beer  and  their  pipes.  In  Italy,  an  American  is 
perfectly  at  home,  for  now  the  spirit  of  liberty  is 
abroad  in  that  beautiful  land,  and  an  Italian  de- 
lights to  shake  by  the  hand  any  one  who  hails 
from  "  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the 
brave." 

Adieu,  Messrs.  Editors  Advocate.  Accept  my 
thanks  for  your  many  kindnesses,  and  ever  believe 
me,  Yery  truly, 

Your  friend, 

H.  W.  A. 


APPENDIX. 


ANECDOTES   OF   TRAVEL. 

Strasbourg,  France. 
From  Basle  I  went  to  Strasbourg,  pretty  much  to  see 
the  great  clock  that  works  so  accurately  by  its  compli- 
cated machinery  :  at  12  o'clock  the  Apostles  walk  out  in 
front  of  the  Saviour,  and  when  Peter  passes  along,  the 
cock  (as  large  as  life)  crows  three  times.  It  is  a  wonder- 
ful piece  of  mechanism,  and  hundreds  visit  the  cathedral 
every  day  to  see  it.  While  seated  in  the  Hotel  de  Ville, 
busily  engaged  in  writing  a  letter  to  a  friend,  and  smoking 
a  cigar,  I  would  occasionally  spit  out  of  the  window,  which 
was  up,  the  weather  being  very  warm.  There  were  no 
spittoons  in  the  room,  and  I  did  not  wish  to  spit  on  the 
well-carpeted  floor — consequently,  out  of  the  window  into- 
the  street  I  had  to  spit.  Well,  in  an  unguarded  moment, 
as  misfortune  would  have  it,  I  spit  smack  into  the  face  of 
a  tall,  fine-looking  Frenchman,  who  happened  just  at  the 
moment  to  turn  and  Jook  into  the  window.  The  Gaul 
gazed  at  me  at  first  with  an  uncertain  and  vacant  stare  : 


240  APPENDIX. 

then  came  a  volley  of  oaths  and  a  violent  shaking  of  fists. 
I  said  to  him  in  my  very  best  French,  "  Pardonnez  moi, 
monsieur — un  accident,  un  accident — un  facheux  accident." 
This,  however,  did  not  satisfy  my  enraged  Frenchman. 
He  swore  terribly,  not  exactly  in  Dutch,  but  in  Stras- 
bourg French.  He  launched  at  my  devoted  head  volley 
after  volley  of  horrid,  guttural  oaths,  at  the  close  of  each, 
with  threatening,  clenched  fist,  he  demanded  "  satisfaction 
— satisfaction."  This  was  on  the  public  street.  He  was  in 
front  and  on  the  outside  of  the  hotel,  and  I  on  the  inside, 
talking  to  him  through  the  window.  In  the  midst  of  all 
this,  a  large  assemblage  was  collected  around  us.  I  asked 
if  there  was  any  person  present  who  could  speak  English. 
One  man  said,  Yes.  I  then  requested  him  to  say  to  my 
Frenchman,  that  I  had  spit  on  him  accidentally ;  that  I 
regretted  it  very  much ;  that  I  was  an  American,  having 
just  arrived  in  Strasbourg,  an  entire  stranger  to  him  and 
everybody  else  in  the  city,  and  that  I  hoped  my  explana- 
tion would  be  satisfactory.  This  being  interpreted  to  my 
foaming  Frenchman,  instead  of  appeasing  his  rage,  seemed 
to  increase  it.  Having  nursed  his  wrath  during  my  ex- 
planation, it  now  broke  loose  afresh,  and  he  demanded 
with  terrific  shrieks,  "  satisfaction — satisfaction."  I  con- 
cluded that  the  time  had  come  when  further  forbearance 
would  cease  to  be  a  virtue  ;  so  I  requested  the  interpreter, 
in  a  loud  and  determined  voice,  to  say  to  my  now  furious 
Frenchman,  "  that  I  had  apologized  to  him  for  the  merest 
accident,  a  half  a  dozen  times ;  that  as  he  would  accept 
of  no  apology  whatever,  but  was  '  freezing  for  a  fight/ 
that  I  would  accommodate  him  :  to  send  me  his  card — 
that  I  had  rather  shoot  the  top  of  Ms  head  off  than  any 
other  man's  I  had  ever  seen."  This  was  interpreted  just 
as  I  delivered  it,  but  before  any  thing  in  the  shape  of  "  pre- 


3 


APPENDIX.  241 

liminarics  "  could  be  arranged,  a  policeman  stepped  up, 
and  touching  my  adversary  on  the  shoulder,  said,  very 
politely,  "  Voulez-vous  aller  faire  un  tour  de  promenade> 
monsieur  ?  "  Much  to  my  relief,  my  bloody-minded 
Frenchman  took  this  "little  walk"  with  the  man  of  au- 
thority, but  to  my  utter  astonishment,  on  turning  from 
the  window,  I  found  two  "  buttoned  gentlemen,"  with  long 
swords  on,  in  my  room.  My  landlord  was  with  them, 
however.  I  told  them,  as  we  sometimes  say  in  Louisiana, 
that  they  had  better  send  two  to  hold  the  Frenchman — 
« >nc  could  hold  me,  for  I  wasn't  spoiling  for  a  fight ;  that 
I  had  rather  drink  any  time  than  shed  blood.  In  a  few 
moments  the  whole  matter  was  explained  and  hushed  up. 
I  engaged  a  valet  de  place,  and  started  out  sight-seeing, 
visiting  the  great  cathedral,  the  tomb  of  Marshal  Saxe,  (a 
noble  and  splendid  work  of  art,)  and  the  various  factories 
where  the  Strasbourg  pies — the  pates — are  made.  All  the 
while,  however,  I  kept  a  good  look-out  for  my  fighting 
Frenchman.  Being  of  a  kind,  and,  I  hope,  an  amiable 
disposition,  I  did  not  want  to  kill  the  man  or  anybody 
else ;  then  again,  I  didn't  want  him  to  kill  me.  The  idea 
of  being  killed  in  a  foreign  country,  where  the  English 
language  is  not  spoken,  and  where  the  rights  of  burial  are 
rather  precarious,  is  somewhat  revolting  to  a  sensitive 
mind.  However,  the  matter  all  blew  over.  I  spent  a 
very  pleasant  day  in  the  great  city  of  "  sausages  and  lager 
bier,"  and,  I  must  add,  of  "  fighting  Frenchmen  ;  "  and  in 
the  evening  took  the  huge  omnibus,  and  passed  through 
that  long  avenue  of  shady  trees  which  leads  from  Stras- 
bourg to  Kehl ;  thence  to  Baden  Baden,  only  a  few  miles, 
where  I  found  my  travelling  companion,  Dr.  Smith,  in 
the  midst  of  a  long  and  heated  disputation  with  a  Scotch- 
man.   Speaking  of  spitting  on  people,  &c,  it  is  my  duty, 


242  APPENDIX. 

as  a  faithful  chronicler  of  the  acts  and  doings  in  this  Eu- 
ropean tour,  to  state  that  my  friend  Ed.  Johnson  got 
out  of  a  similar  case  much  better  than  I  did.  He  and 
Mrs.  Johnson,  Shelby  and  myself,  were  in  a  car  to  our- 
selves, going  from  Edinboro'  to  London.  We  had  paid 
the  conductor  not  to  let  any  other  passengers  enter  our 
car,  as  the  weather  was  very  hot ;  and  we  were  getting 
along  very  finely,  when  on  a  sudden  the  conductor  presented 
himself  at  the  window,  out  of  which,  at  the  same  time, 
Johnson  happened  to  spit.  The  man,  of  course,  was  spit 
upon.  He  said,  in  rather  a  dissatisfied  manner,  "  You  see 
you  have  spit  upon  me."  Johnson  ran  his  hand  in  his 
pocket, "  he  put  in  his  thumb,"  and  instead  of  "  pulling  out 
a  plum,"  he  pulled  out  a  few  shillings,  and  said  to  the  con- 
ductor, "  How  much  is  it  ?  "  The  man  said,  "  Any  thing 
you  please,  sir."  Johnson  handed  him  a  couple  of  shil- 
lings, and  our  conductor  thanked  and  smiled,  and  bowed 
himself  away.  All  of  which,  I  think,  was  very  hand- 
somely done. 


London. 
Before  quitting  London,  I  concluded  that  I  would 
rise  very  early  one  morning,  and  drive  down  to  see  the 
Fish  Market,  and  that  celebrated  place  called  "  Billings- 
gate." I  issued  forth  from  my  hotel  (the  Trafalgar)  be- 
fore sunrise,  and  called  the  first  cab  or  "  Hansom,"  as 
they  are  called — a  concern  that  goes  on  two  wheels,  with 
the  driver  behind  outside,  and  the  reins  passing  over  your 
head.  Well,  into  this  Hansom  I  got,  and  started  off"  for 
Billingsgate.  After  driving  several  miles,  my  Jehu  pulled 
up,  and  gave  me  the  pleasing  information  that  we  were  at 


APPENDIX.  .  243 

the  Fish  Market  or  Billingsgate,  which  is  all  the  same. 
I  got  out  and  went  the  rounds  ;  saw  the  splendid  salmon 
and  the  delicious  sole,  the  blue  fish  and  the  rock  ;  saw  boat- 
loads of  lobsters,  and  oysters,  and  other  shell-fish.  Having 
spent  an  hour  walking  through  the  market,  I  went  back  to 
my  Hansom,  and  I  found  that  the  carts  of  the  fishmong- 
ers had  completly  surrounded  my  driver,  and  there  he 
stood  at  bay  ;  the  fishmongers  and  their  wives  heaping 
curses  on  his  head,  as  a  villanous  prig,  who  had  dared  to 
bring  his  painted  "  go-cart  "  into  the  classic  grounds  of 
Billingsgate.     The  police  interfered,  and  after  some  time 

spent  in  cursing,  swearing,  and  d ing  one  another's  eyes 

generally,  (all  right,  for  we  arc  in  Billingsgate,)  he  suc- 
ceeded in  extricating  my  driver,  who, "  with  'bated  breath 
and  whispering  humbleness,"  begged  me  for  God's  sake 
never  again  to  take  him  among  "  those  heathen  devils." 
I  told  him  to  drive  on  to  "  the  Old  Bailey."  Arriving 
there,  I  spent  a  few  moments  in  examining  that  ancient 
establishment,  once  redolent  with  crime  and  sharp  practis- 
ing lawyers,  but  now  converted  into  a  prison-house  for 
those  convicted  of  capital  offences.  On  leaving  "  the  Old 
Bailey,"  we  drove  on  towards  the  hotel.  In  passing  up 
the  Strand,  I  saw  a  gentleman  walking  very  rapidly  down 
the  street,  and  immediately  recognized  him,  I  thought,  as 
an  English  sugar-buyer  or  broker,  who  was  in  the  habit 
of  visiting  West  Baton  Rouge,  and  buying  sugars  for 
the  English  market.  I  passed  my  arm  over  the  reins 
and  stopped  the  horse,  telling  my  driver  at  the  same 
time  to  hold  on  a  while,  till  I  could  speak  to  a  friend. 
Getting  out  of  my  Hansom,  I  hurried  on  in  pursuit  of 
my  supposed  acquaintance.  I  overtook  him,  and  found 
him  to  be  walking  in  a  very  gingerly  manner,  as  if  he  had 
a  little  touch  of  the  gout  or  stringhalt,  and  after  looking 


244  APPENDIX. 

at  his  profile  some  time,  I  was  sure  that  I  had  my  man  ; 
so  without  further  ceremony  I  gave  him  a  hard  slap  on 
the  shoulder,  and  cried  out,  "  Old  fellow,  how  are  you  ?  " 
The  gentleman  turned  upon  me  with  an  astonished  look, 
and  gave  me  a  freezing  stare.  Before  he  could  say  a 
word,  I  remarked  that  I  supposed  he  had  forgotten  me ; 
that  my  name  was  Capt.  A.  of  West  Baton  Rouge,  and 
that  I  had  entertained  him  often  at  my  house.  The  gen- 
tleman opened  his  eyes  the  wider,  and  said  that  he  had 
no  recollection  of  ever  seeing  me  before.  Now,  the 
name  of  the  sugar-buyer  was  Prescott.  I  could  not  at 
the  time  recollect  his  name,  so  I  said  to  the  gentleman, 
"  You  say  you  never  saw  me  before.  Were  you  never 
in  West  Baton  Rouge  ?  Don't  you  know  Dan  Hickey, 
and  haven't  we  all  had  many  a  frolic  together  at  the  Brusli 
Landing?"  "No,  sir,"  said  he,  very  quietly,  "  I  never 
was  in  West  Baton  Rouge  or  the  Brusli  Landing,  and 
don't  know  Mr.  Dan  Hickey  !  "  Thinking  that  this  gen- 
tleman might  possibly  be  a  brother  of  the  sugar-buyer,  I 
asked  him  his  name.  Said  he,  "  Sir,  my  name  is  Pal- 
merston."  "What!  Lord  Palmerston?"  "Yes,  the 
same."  I  raised  my  hat  to  his  lordship,  and  apologized 
for  annoying  him.  I  told  him  I  was  a  stranger,  an  Amer- 
ican, travelling  for  information  and  for  pleasure,  and  had 
mistaken  him  for  the  person  alluded  to  above.  The 
premier  smiled  at  my  mistake,  and  gave  me  to  understand 
that  he  was  always  glad  to  make  the  acquaintance  of 
Americans.  He  asked  me  if  I  had  yet  visited  the  Houses 
of  Parliament.  I  told  him  I  had.  He  then  insisted  that 
whenever  I  visited  them  again,  if  I  would  only  send  him 
my  card,  he  would  issue  a  special  permit  for  my  admit- 
tance to  hear  the  debates  in  the  House  of  Commons,  for 


APPENDIX.  24:5 

all  of  which  I  thanked  him,  and  we,  that  is,  Lord  Pal- 
merston  and  myself,  parted,  /  hope,  good  friends. 


Magexta,  Italy. 
A  young  gentleman,  not  by  the  name  of  "  Guppy," 
but  of  Hall,  a  very  intelligent  lawyer  of  California,  left 
Milan  with  me.  We  stopped  at  Magenta,  only  ten  or 
twelve  miles  distant,  where  we  spent  the  day  looking  at 
that  dread  battle-field,  so  recently  drenched  with  human 
gore.  As  we  g<  >t  out  of  the  cars  and  were  going  into  the 
depot,  we  were  attacked  by  a  large  yellow  dog.  Both  of 
us  drew  our  sword-canes  and  determined  to  give  the  "  ca- 
nine individual  "  a  good  dose  of  well-tempered  steel.  A 
gentleman,  however,  called  the  dog  off,  and  as  we.  ap- 
proached, he  said  that  the  dog  would  not  bite  us  :  it  was 
only  a  way  he  had  of  barking  at  all  strangers.  Said  he, 
"  That  dog  has  a  strange  history."  In  the  mean  time  the  dog 
came  forward,  and  seemed  by  his  actions  anxious  to  learn 
who  we  were.  But  to  his  history  :  he  was  the  favorite 
and  constant  companion  of  Gen.  Espinasse  of  the  Zouaves, 
who  was  killed  at  this  place  in  the  recent  great  battle 
fought  here.  When  he  fell,  his  dog,  true  to  his  nature, 
stayed  by  his  side.  After  the  battle  was  over,  the  General 
was  taken  to  a  room  in  the  depot.  Here  he  died,  and 
when  he  was  buried,  the  faithful  dog  followed  his  master 
to  his  grave,  and'there  howled  his  mournful  dirge.  The 
dog  went  from  the  grave  back  to  the  room  in  which  his 
master  died,  and  has  refused  ever  since  to  sleep  anywhere 
else.  Even  now,  as  often  as  the  cars  stop,  and  passengers 
get  out,  he  comes  up  and  smells  them,  and  with  eager 
looks  still  hopes  to  find  his  devoted  master.     The  brave 


246  APPENDIX. 

dog  bears  evidence  of  the  battle,  for  I  noticed  in  one  of 
his  legs  a  musket-ball  not  yet  extracted.  "While  in  Ma- 
genta we  had  quite  a  time.  In  order  to  get  to  the  hotel 
we  had  to  go  through  a  butcher's  shop,  and  then  a  livery 
stable ;  but  when  once  in  the  upper  story,  we  found  a 
pleasant  place,  and  had  a  most  delightful  breakfast  of  figs, 
melons,  and  grapes,  with  good  country  wine.  Since  the 
battle  here,  hundreds  come  to  see  the  "  foughten  field," 
and  carry  away  some  relic,  generally  in  the  shape  of  Minie 
rifle-balls,  or  brass  ornaments  from  Austrian  hats.  Al- 
ready even  these  have  been  exhausted,  and  now,  as  is  the 
case  at  Waterloo,  they  are  manufactured  for  the  occasion, 
buried  in  the  earth  until  they  become  rusty,  and  offered 
by  importunate  venders  as  bona-fide  relics  gathered  from 
the  very  identical  spot  where  McMahon  charged  the  Aus- 
trians. 

II.  W.  A. 


■■»•> 


COST  OF  A  TRIP  TO  EUROPE. 

Below  will  be  found  an  accurate  and  detailed  state- 
ment of  the  cost  of  a  trip  to  Europe.  I  speak  "  from  the 
card,"  for  each  and  every  one  of  these  items  was  paid  by 
me. 

From  New  Orleans  to  New  York, $60  00 

"    New  York  to  Liverpool, 125  00 

"    Liverpool  to  London,               6  00 

"    London  to  Dover              3  00 

"    Dover  to  Calais, 2  00 

"    Calais  to  Paris, 4  00 

"    Paris  to  Lyons, 7  50 

Amount  carried  forward,      ....  $207  50 


APPENDIX. 


247 


way 


of  the  llac-ue 


Amount  brought  forward  '.  $20*7 

From  Lyons  to  Geneva,  Switzerland,  ....        2 

Geneva  to  Chamouni,  Savoy,  (diligence,) 

Chamouni  to  Martigny,  (by  mule,)  and  across  the  Alps, 

Martigny  to  Bouveret  at  Lake  Geneva, 

Bouveret  to  Lake  Ncuchatel,    . 

Lake  Neuchatcl  to  Interlaken  and  Brientz 

Brientz  to  Lucerne,  (by  mule,) 

Lucerne  by  rail  to  Berne,  capital  of  Switzerland, 

Berne  to  Zurich,       ..... 

Zurich  to  Basle,        ..... 

Basle  to  Heidelberg,         .... 

Heidelberg  to  Baden  Baden, 

From  Baden  Baden  to  Frankfort-on-the-Main, 

Frankfort  to  Wiesbaden, 

Wiesbaden  to  Mayeuce, 

Mayence  down  the  Rhine  by  boat — passing  the  vine- 
yards of  Johannisberger,  and  Marcobruner,  and 
Ilockheimcr — passing  Coblentz  and  Bon  to  Cologne, 
(Prussia,)  

Cologne  to  Aix-la-Chapelle,  through  tunnel  6,000  feet  in 
length, 

Aix  to  Brussels, 

Brussels  to  Antwerp,  Belgium, 

Antwerp  to  Rotterdam, 

Rotterdam  to  Amsterdam,  by 
Leyden, 

Amsterdam  to  Utrecht, 

Utrecht  to  Berlin,  Prussia, 

Berlin  to  Leipsic,     . 

Leipsic  to  Dresden, 

Dresden  to  Prague, 

Prague  to  Vienna, 

Vienna  to  Trieste, 

Trieste  to  Venice,  by  steamer, 

Venice,  by  Padua,Verona,  and  Solferino,  to  Milan, 


and 


1 

2 

1 

1 

1 

11 

1 

2 

2 

6 
9 
2 
3 


50 
50 
00 
00 
50 
50 
50 
00 
00 
50 
50 
00 
00 
00 
00 
50 


2  50 


Milan,  by  Magenta  and  Turin,  and  Alessandria  to  Genoa,  5 
Genoa  to  Leghorn,  by  steamer,         ....         3 

Amount  carried  forward,  .         .         .  $284  71 


50 
25 
50 
50 

60 
50 
10 
15 
00 
40 
96 
50 
50 
65 
50 
00 


24:8  APPENDIX. 

Amount  brought  forward,  .        .         .        $284  71 

From  Leghorn  to  Florence,  by  Pisa,  .  .         .         .         1  00 

"     Florence   to  Civita  Vecchia,  back  by  rail,  and  then 

steamer,  .         .         .         .  .         .         .         2  50 

"    Civita  Vecchia  to  "  Imperial  Rome,"  ...  75 

§298  96 
Thus  it  will  bo  seen  that  the  actual  cost  of  travel  from 
New  Orleans  to  Rome  is  precisely  $298  96.  No  more,  no 
less,  and  af  the  same  time  passing  through  nearly  the 
whole  of  Europe.  The  cost  of  returning  to  Paris  by  the 
Mediterranean  to  Marseilles,  is  much  cheaper. 
From  Rome  to  Marseilles,  by  steamer, 

"     Marseilles  to  Paris,  72  francs,     .... 
"     Paris  to  Liverpool,  by  London, 
Passage  from  Liverpool  to  New  York, 

"  "    New  York  to  New  Orleans,  home  again, 

$540  71 
For  a  trip  of  three  months — say  90  days — we  will  allow 
the  traveller  to  spend  $5  per  day.  This  will  cover  all  his 
expenses,  wines  and  operas  included,  unless  he  should  see 
proper  to  join  the  eager  throng  in  the  "  Conversation 
Rooms  "  at  Baden  Baden,  and  try  his  luck  at  "  Rouge  et 
Noir."  In  that  event,  there  is  no  telling  "  what  is  on  the 
cards."    For  90  days  at  $5  per  day,  .        .        .        .  450  00 

$990  71 


.  $25 

00 

.  17 

25 

.  14 

50 

125 

00 

.  60 

00 

A  prudent  traveller  will  not  risk  his  money  at  cards 
in  a  strange  land.  It  is  bad  enough  at  home.  That  being 
the  case,  no  man  needs  more  than  $1,000  to  take  the  ex- 
tensive trip  marked  out  above.  This  takes  you  through 
the  very  heart  of  Europe,  and  in  most  of  the  extravagant 
capitals.  In  France  and  Germany  and  Austria  the  fare 
is  good  and  cheap.  In  Italy  you  can  live  for  almost  noth- 
ing. In  Florence  I  took  my  breakfast  at  the  best  cafe  in 
the  city,  and  it  never  exceeded  20  cents  !  In  a  tour  of 
three  months  you  cannot  spend  any  more  money  legiti- 


APPENDIX.  249 

mately  than  the  figures  set  down.  Of  course  you  can 
throw  away  just  as  much  as  you  please.  In  passing  through 
Geneva,  you  can  step  into  a  jeweller's  and  order  diamond 
rings  and  brooches,  and  enamelled  jewelled  watches  of  the 
latest  style ;  you  can  fill  your  pockets  in  Florence  and 
Eome  with  cameos  and  mosaics,  and  when  you  get  back 
to  Paris  you  can  go  on  the  Boulevards  des  Italiens,  to  the 
"  emperor's  tailors,"  and  they  will  fill  your  trunk  with 
magnificent  clothes.  You  may  give  dinners  at  the  "  Trois 
Freres  Provenceaux,"  and  drive  your  "  liveried  establish- 
ment "  in  Hyde  Park ;  but  when  you  return  home,  you 
will  find  that  it  will  take  "  the  big  end  "  of  a  good-sized 
sugar  crop  to  foot  the  bills.  In  taking  this  trip,  no  one 
will  need  more  than  one  thousand  dollars,  unless  he  wishes 
to  splurge :  then  my  advice  is,  take  all  you  can  carry,  for 
you  will  want  every  dollar  in  due  course  of  time. 

H.  W.  A. 


11 


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